


Yoroshiku (Previously: Becoming Great)

by ShadowAccio6181



Series: White Chrysanthemums: Komorebi [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: (mostly), Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Character, Reincarnation, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 13:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 44,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10945377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowAccio6181/pseuds/ShadowAccio6181
Summary: "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" - one of the most common phrases in the Japanese language, this can mean anything from "be kind to me,” to “I’m counting on you,” to “please take care of me,” to “nice to meet you!”Of course, I’m not actually asking anyone to be kind because I think they’re mean. I’m saying that I’m happy they’re accepting my introduction, and accepting me. And I’m also saying I know that I’m not very high up, and I am just a small speck compared to everyone else. So, it’s not that I’m really asking them to be kind, at least not literally. I’m just saying that I’m sort of in their hands, and that they can do what they’d like with me. I’m just happy they allowed me to meet them and am hoping that future interactions are good.So in short? That sums up my feelings here in a nutshell.For the record, I always wanted to know what it would be like to be part of an anime. I didn't expect to be a guy. Or look even girlier than I used to. Anyways, here's to hoping that I can actually live and, you know, not die in some lame way. If I'm going to be stuck in a new culture, I refuse to not know the language. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! Please take care of me! Self-insert (SI-OC)





	1. I don't want to wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> 10/26/2018 -- I'm rewriting a LOT of stuff. Hopefully, the rewrites are for the better. My goal is to get everything done by the end of December. I'm also going to be posting a new "story" in this series that will basically contain all of my reference material- images, house blueprints, etc. I hope you like it!

_Though I do not want_

_To stay in this floating world,_

_If I should remain here,_

_No doubt I shall remember fondly_

_The bright moon of this dark night._

* * *

Wishes and hopes and dreams don't always come true. That's life. Life's not really nice, or fair. And sometimes, when they do come true, people end up wishing that they'd never made that wish in the first place.

However, sometimes… sometimes you get lucky.

I think I did.

I'm not sure when it started. My memories of the transition are _really_ fuzzy. That's probably because of the circumstances behind everything, to be honest. Have you ever experienced that lazy lethargy in the mornings? When you didn't set your alarm, because _you don't have anything to do_ , and you're free to wake up when you wish, as you wish? And you don't want to wake up, you don't want to have to face everything, so you just stay in that warm, drowsy embrace of your duvet cover and pillow?

That's kind of how I felt for the _longest_ time.

In that state where you don't have to worry about anything, where you don't _want_ to care about anything, where you just don't want to move in fear that you'd lose that state. And when someone tries to pull you out of it, you get grumpy and sulky and just try to burrow farther into the nest of blankets? Time doesn't seem to apply in that situation. Neither do worries or stresses or… anything, really.

And when you're a stressed high-school student who only recently realized the gravitas of the world in what basically amounts to mentally aging about half a decade in less than one year… and already having a midlife crisis? Well… I basically was regretting every decision in my life, before hand. I felt like I'd wasted so much time, that I wasted my life. I wished that I could have learned things earlier, that I could have gone back to… probably around third, fourth grade? I'd had so many opportunities… and I didn't take any of them. I wasted _so much time_.

And so, when nothing came to shake me out of that state of grumpy lethargy? Well, it just lasted. And lasted. And lasted longer.

I should have probably realized sooner, but… I'm not the most observant person.

No, that's not an exaggeration. Once, my family set up a Christmas tree in the living room… which is connected to our kitchen, where I eat dinner. I only realized it was there halfway through dinner, about three hours after it arrived, and only after my parents pointed it out. I'd been wondering when they got new pine-scented air fresheners.

Yeah… that's not really an air freshener, though it does smell pretty good.

And then… I have two little brothers. They shared a room… and I only realize that my youngest brother finally got his own bed about five months after the bed arrived.

In my defense, we co-exist via mutual ignorance… and I never really go into their room. That time, I'd been looking for a book or something, I think.

There were also other examples, like when I thought Justin Bieber was Justin _Beaver_ , and something like Mickey Mouse, or Elmo, or Barney, or the Groundhog… for almost four years? Over four years. I realized in 6th grade… only after the others girls at school started feuding over the One Direction versus Justin Bieber thing.

I don't watch a lot of TV… or really do a lot of anything involving socializing or what's popular. I usually kept my head in my books. They were more interesting.

(I also have difficulty understanding sarcasm, certain jokes, and various references, but that's another story. Funnily enough, the incomprehension of sarcasm goes both ways— I don't understand when others use sarcasm… and they almost never get it when I do, either.)

And… did you know that infants can't see clearly until they're about… I actually don't know. But I got kicked out of my drowsy state… sometime. Several months after I was born. It could have been one… or five. I was too busy trying to _not_ wake up to actively register time.

But how do I know? Because that's when my new parents took me to see a doctor.

…

...yeah. Apparently, it's not normal for babies to… essentially, not do anything, including not tracking toys. That's what they were. I thought it was something like a weird dream, you know? Those half-remembered snippets that you ignore and go back to sleep when you hit the 'snooze' button?

That was probably the first time I went outside the house, which marked an end to my… let's call it, 'mini-sleep coma.'

But… I won't go into details.

Let's just say… for some reason, everything seems _really_ loud, and really big, and just really… overwhelming. I… I cried. I'll admit it. I started crying. And that really panicked large human transportation device #2. Who handed me to large human transportation device #1. Who I realized I should probably call 'mom.'

And I realized that no, I legitimately did not understand a single word of what was going on.

Even for me, that's a bit of a record.

I cried more.

The good news, I managed to (eventually) figure out that the language going around me was Japanese. No, I'm not a miracle baby (actually, on second thought, I kind of am… I think? But… no! No thought tangents! Back to the point!). It's not too hard. I was exposed to quite a few languages in my past life, and it wasn't English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or… well, Japanese has a distinct sound. The romantic languages (which come from latin) have a… almost watery, or… no, not watery. Machine-gun feel. But… like a machine- _water_ -gun feel. It's this continuous flow of words, with longer vowels held for emphasis at times.

Germanic languages, on the other hand, are more… guttural. Consonant-filled. Chinese is… Chinese. It's really quickly-paced, too, but in a different way than Spanish. How do I know? Well… in my other life, I was Chinese. I don't think I died… so, I don't think I can call it my 'past life.' Though, that would also work, I suppose… it's not like I have anyone to argue with what I decide.

I had long black hair and brown eyes. I had a few friends. Not a _lot_ , but… more than sufficient. I was not a stereotypical Asian, despite the fact that I liked anime and had decently high grades. They weren't good… they usually hovered in the low A- to A range, but… they weren't _bad_. They just weren't that good. I had a good life, with nice parents. I never took Chinese lessons, though, though I was… 'homeschooled' in that aspect. Not really. I could barely read anything, and my vocabulary was about that of a preschooler's. I was relatively fluent, though— I was fluent enough for many people around me to use me as a translator, sometimes. I started learning Spanish in fourth grade, and… I think I was my school's Accelerated Spanish III course. I was… was I planning on learning AP Spanish next year? I don't really remember, but… it doesn't matter now. And, to be honest, that's a bit of a shock… but a nice shock. It's like a breath of fresh air. I don't have to worry about school.

I also studied singing privately, so I know—or at least how to pronounce— German, Italian, French, and… that's it, I think?

Yeah.

And one of my friends was half-Japanese. Is half-Japanese. Wait… my friends and family. I should worry, I guess? Did I just… disappear or something?

...I don't want to think about that, though. This is like… a really nice dream. I don't _want_ to wake up from it. And… we were drifting apart, anyways, so… I don't really feel that regretful. For anything. I should probably feel _more_ , but… I'm just kind of… apathetic. The memories… they're not really associated with emotions. I don't know why. But I think I'm relieved. I _want_ to be happy.

But… that's not the point. The point is that her mother spoke Japanese. And I also watched anime. The point is, I know how Japanese sounds. And I'm pretty sure this is it.

My next big shock was realizing that… yup. I'm in the Naruto-verse… I think. I'm pretty sure that's the only place those terrifying… medic-nin-uniform-things exist. To be fair, I might have recognized some things earlier. That _might_ be the Hokage monument that I saw flashes of.

But I'm myopic. Nearsighted.

...rather, I _was_ myopic. Now… infants' eyes don't fully develop until they're… I'll hazard a guess and say, 'toddlers?' I don't know. I don't know how to speak… this. But I'm pretty sure that I might _not_ be myopic. That's awesome.

I'm not joking. That is _awesome_. I really don't like glasses, and hard contact lense are annoying… and often hurt. As for why I don't like glasses… I'm clumsy. I lose them and/or break them. That's… not good. Plus, my mother often harped on about my eyes and… let's just say that I am _thrilled_. To be able to see, _clearly_ …

I thank whichever higher being decided to smile upon me and give me this opportunity from the bottom of my heart.

Wait… opportunity. Will… will this end? I don't know. I don't want it to. I had always envied some anime characters. They had interesting lives. They had motivation, a clear-cut goal that they could see. They had bonds of friendship tested by fire. I… I want that. Maybe it's selfish of that, but… I want to be selfish.

I love it so much here… I _want_ another chance, a restart. Besides, it's not they'd miss me for long, anyways.

So… please, whatever let this happen. Whether my grandma really is looking out for me… or there is some higher deity. Thank you, and… please don't take this away from me. Please?

* * *

...Apart from my internal revelations, I also have some external revelations. Things are… awkward… when you're not in that hazy sorta-asleep state. Life got _so much harder_. It's not boring. I've _longed_ for this state of nothing-much-to-do. Though, to be honest… I have quite a bit to do.

For one, I have _so much trouble_ with just… moving. My arms, legs… general body. And don't get me started on my fingers. I used to play piano. I used to dance. This is… highly _not_ acceptable. (And improvement is really slow. I also get easily discouraged. But then I just sleep.)

Seriously. I _love_ sleeping. And it's quite nice having two… well, they're kind of like servants. I make sure to not make a fuss, and they normally leave me alone in this child-proofed room (and baby bed) for long periods of time, but… it makes you feel really powerful when all you have to do is scream, and then someone comes running.

I'm not kidding. I thought I saw a spider crawling in front of me once, when I woke up, and… well, luckily, the spider wasn't on the bar of the bed. It was on the window, and what I saw was the shadow. Unluckily… let's just say that my parents panicked, and smothered me for the two hours after. Two entire hours of getting my… lower extremities… inspected for a rash and of having large giants invading my personal space is _not_ fun.

And it's also one of the worst ways to discover that you've switched… um… reproductive organs. Yes. I now have the anatomically accurate body of a male infant.

It just looks weird. It doesn't _feel_ too weird… the male part, that is. The infant part's too overwhelmingly weird for me to worry about anything else. Again… I'm more surprised it took me _this long to realize_. Then again… I have a diaper. Oh, and that reminds me… diaper rash is the _worst_. No, I'm not describing it, but… it's really _not_ comfortable.

Other than the general awkwardness on my part, my new parents are really nice. Like… _really_ nice. And they're really affectionate, too. It's weird.

Currently, I've been _trying_ to act normal, which means crying, pooing, getting my diaper changed, and eating but… I'm also doing my best to not bleach my mind sometimes.

I have a new sympathy for my little brothers. My new parents… they coo at me. And blow raspberries on my stomach. And tickle me. And _have I mentioned that, for some reason, just like in my past life, I'm_ super _ticklish?_

And… all while I'm naked?

But they are nice. But a bit weird. Like, a while after my birth, I remember going on this… trip? That was my first no-don't-freak-out moment. There was a cart… and some large animal. I _think_ it was a horse, but I couldn't actually see it clearly.

There was also a shinobi with really pretty hair and a nice voice. Okaa-san knew… her? Him? I actually don't know, but Okaa-san knew shinobi-san really well. I really liked shinobi-san's hair. We went to this… I think it was a shrine. I met my… "Obaa-san," my grandmother. I only remember warm brown eyes, a rather wrinkled face, and gray hair in a bun. I spent most of my time with her grabbing at her necklace, which was this jade pendant on a string with some beads. I remember being dressed up in something a bit heavier and stiffer than normal. It was a formal outfit. I think it was a kimono, though thankfully tied with a cord. Obaa-san carried me up a set of steps, a guy with a kimono and weird hat-thing said something, and we left. So, it was cool, but… rather uneventful. I think I like Obaa-san though. I think she's nice. I wish I could have spent a bit longer with her.

Another time, they made this _really_ big deal out of dinner. I'm not sure whether the red plates are important, but they were pretty, I'll admit that.

As another example, sometime during… late spring, I think? They gave me this samurai doll, and put up these fish-shaped banners. I just smiled, giggled, and tried to wonder why.

It's also weird that I have have, like… at least one doctor's appointment every week. I'm not sure when it started? Maybe because of my sleep-coma? The good news is that language immersion programs really work, and my parents are awesome… even if I haven't left the house to do anything more than visit the doctor's, yet. But through a bit of previous vocabulary, and hearing everything repeated constantly, as well as my parents' patience—and many, _many_ flashcards— I've figured out the language to the point where I understand what everyone's saying. Mostly.

However, I have no clue how I'll start talking. Or when I should. I've started gurgling sometimes, now, though, after the medic-nin started checking my mouth and throat and tickling me to make noises. I'm not sure what to do, but… I try. I laugh. I pout. I make funny faces. I try and get my tongue to twist, to fold. By this point, I'm getting a little bored, but… my first tooth arrives. And suddenly, I'm wishes for the sweet, merciful grasp of boredom.

It hurts. I've always been a little bit of a crybaby, but now that I am _actually_ a baby… I see no reason to hold back the waterworks. I've also gotten a bit spoiled, admittedly, but that's nothing new. I gnaw at _everything_ in an effort to ignore the pain. I prefer my sheets, because they're convenient. Sometime during that haze of pain and discomfort, my second tooth arrives… then my third… and by the time my first birthday rolls around, I'm the proud owner of seven baby teeth.

My first birthday. That was… also weird. I realized that I should be crawling several months ago, during… I think around fall? All I know is that it was really, _really_ warm… and sticky… and just several degrees of not fun. Crawling around helped that, and then walking, too. The walking was especially useful when the days started to get colder, and I needed to grab my blanket from wherever in the room I'd left it.

Usefulness aside, though… learning to walk was not fun. My butt hurt so much… and I'm pretty sure I bruised my tailbone at least once. Thankfully, babies are quite resilient.

I've also managed to figure out a bit of the helicopter-parenting- I think I was born after the Kyūbi attack, and… something happened that makes everyone worry about whether I'm healthy. All I know… is that I somehow have white hair, even though my mother, my Okaa-san, is really pretty, with shiny brown hair that reaches to her shoulders and equally warm eyes. My Otou-san, my father, is a tall man, with black hair already streaked lightly with gray at the temples and lightly sun-tanned skin, along with these _amazing_ amber, almost orange-ish eyes that twinkle with laugher. Me? White hair. Ghost-pale skin. And blue eyes. I think.

My eyes are… unique. They're kind of this blue-green mix, and it's really, _really_ weird. In fact, everything about me is a pretty weird. My new coloration is probably something that can only be found in an anime. For one, my hair is _white_ , and it practically glows when under direct sunlight. My eyes, as mentioned before, are a scarily-bright bluish-green that looks pretty unnatural. That's helped by the fact that my eyes themselves are light, but have a really dark, thick ring around the iris— I think it's called the limbal ring? And… I'm actually still annoyed that boys always have the nicest eyelashes. I mean, it's pretty awesome now that I _am_ a boy, but… it's still _so_ unfair for Before-me.

I mentioned before my eyes are scary? They are. I scare myself sometimes. Like, this one time Okaa-san was carrying me into the bathroom, but the lights were off (except for what came in through the window), and I thought I was a ghost.

Apart from that, though… my face actually looks pretty similar to what I had before… I think. Or at least, similar to my younger photos… not my baby pictures. _Before_ , I looked liked a meter-long sausage squashed into baby clothes. Now… I'm a lot smaller, a bit more delicate, a _lot_ softer and pudgier due to the baby fat… but I think I'll end up with a similar bone structure, at least before puberty in this body hits.

Oh, _no_. Even my _ears_ are the same. I hated my ears! I still hate my ears. The tops are folded in, I have no ear lobes, and they're just _smaller_ than they should be.

I hope they'll change.

I am still young, so _hopefully_ that changes. Babies normally have small ears, right? And my nose is still too big. Maybe it's just insecurities speaking, but… gah! Then again, I am _just_ a baby, so it'll _probably_ change… at least a little. I hope. Because right now, it looks especially wide. Okay, I'll admit, it's mainly just insecurities talking. According to my mother before, my nose was probably the most auspicious feature on my face, according to some esoteric branch of Chinese fortune-telling. I had a good nose, my younger brother had good eyebrows, and my youngest brother had a good head shape. I have no idea what most of them mean, but… yay?

Other than that… my hair seems a bit too light, and even a bit thin… but that might just be because I'm not used to how short it is, compared to what I'm used to.

So, all in all… I look both the same and very, very different. I'm not sure if that's good or not, but… it's me, now, I guess. So… meh. I'm not _unhappy_ with anything, thankfully. It's easy to complain, but I'm actually pretty grateful. My body functions more-or-less correctly, to the best of my knowledge. Of course, I currently don't really look like I have eyebrows, but… I'm praying that that _also_ changes.

For the most part, though… I look like a really weird baby.

I'm not sure why I don't resemble either of my parents, though. I'm _pretty_ sure I'm not adopted… I think that the medic-nin attributed my characteristics to the Kyūbi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox. I was born after the attack, from what I can decipher, and… I think something happened during my gestational period? I think the best decision is just to roll with it. It's not like weird hair colors are uncommon in anime, either, so… I'm hoping that's it, and not some weird, deep, nefarious reason. It probably doesn't matter, right?

* * *

Back to the subject— my first birthday party. It's… a bit weird. I'm not even talking about the fancy clothes I'm dressed up in, or the ridiculously large quantities of food that my new mother, my Okaa-san, cooked. I'm talking about the insanely heavy block of… something… that my parents attached to my back and encouraged me to walk with.

The weirdest thing? Unless my ears are deceiving me, I'm pretty sure that 'something' was _mochi_. As in, that sticky, sweet, dessert-thing made from rice that you eat?

The candles and mochi (that I got to eat) were a nice touch, though. Even being a baby doesn't really change my sweet tooth.

One of the most anxiety-inducing parts of the entire day, however, was the _erabitori_ ceremony… thing. Okaa-san and Otou-san had surrounded me with this circle of objects. There was a brush pen, money, a ruler, chopsticks… and more stuff that I can't remember or name. This is something that's more for fun than anything, and it's supposed to "predict" what a child will do later in life. I panicked. I grabbed the brush pen… then the money… and then just decided to grab everything. Hey, I can be pretty indecisive, okay?

My second year of life… was a bit more boring. But at the same time, less boring.

Pretty early in the year, I'd gotten sick. Very sick. It was a _really_ miserable time, and… well, it turns out that my lungs are a bit weak. I'm still mildly allergic to pollen, and I (again) have asthma. I think. I'm pretty sure it's asthma.

I practically went to the doctor's office every day, and let me tell you, getting poked with glowing hands, despite the initial novelty, gets a bit annoying after a while.

After I recovered, my parents got even more protective. I didn't really leave the house that often, though they did carry me outside sometimes, and pointed out various objects, teaching me their names. I practiced the pronunciation diligently.

It's also around this time that they moved me from my raised baby-bed to a fūton, which is basically a mattress and a duvet that are laid on the floor. Okaa-san or Otou-san fold it and store it inside of the closet during the day. There are two parts— a _shikibuton_ (the mattress) and a _kakebuton_ (the duvet). I normally only get to use the _shikibuton_ , because my parents are afraid… that I'll suffocate myself? I think that was the word they used.

Learning a language is a bit easier when you have an idea about what people are _probably_ saying.

Being the only child of a rather well-off couple has its perks. My bedroom is enormous. I love it, to be honest. The floor is _currently_ carpeted in this thick material that I can fall face-first on and still not get hurt. It's not really a carpet though— just a rug. A wonderful, soft, thick, plush rug in a _beautiful_ soft grey. Okaa-san and Otou-san, my new mother and father, added the rug when I started walking, after several scares. I'm… not the most graceful as a toddler.

It's around this age that I learn more about my parents. You see, my parents own a tea shop. And they worry if I'm out of their sight. This wouldn't be as big a problem had I been older, since we live right above the tea shop, but… well, I now have a "playpen" in the corner of the tea shop, behind the counter.

I… feel a bit like a cute little pet, or animal, with how visitors come over and coo over me.

I don't like that. As a result, I normally just try to close my eyes, drift off slightly, and either disconnect myself or lose myself in trying to make plans and remember the timeline. Basically, anything that keeps me motionless and allows me to pretend that I'm not there. I get even better at not thinking. It turns out that this is similar to meditating, because after I got really good at clearing my mind and not thinking, I discovered my chakra.

Yes, that chakra. The physical and mental energies found in all living things.

Maybe it's because I'm used to a body and a world without chakra, but the bright blue pathways are clear as day after I shake off some distractions. Playing with the flow of chakra becomes my new favorite pastime, and highly addicting. It takes time, but I've got almost too much of it. I'm very thankful for my weak body at these times, because it gives me an excuse for not being "awake" a majority of the time.

I follow my chakra mentally, tracing each coil. The tenketsu are easy to "see" after a little time. Or… a lot of time. They're pretty hard to find and pin down, especially in the context of their actual locations, but… they shine like little stars. It's hard to actually locate them, though, when I'm not tracing my chakra channels. I circulate the chakra, trying to speed up the flow and sometimes trying to stop it. When I stop it, I feel like I'm practicing my splits as the buildup stretches the pathways. The stretch is painful, but in a good way, and it only becomes overwhelming after I hold it too long. It's surprisingly fun.

Chakra manipulation is mentally exhausting, though, and I'm never able to do this for long before I actually fall asleep. I plan on seeing whether I can reverse the flow next, or send chakra out from the tenketsu.

But… aside from giving me motivation to avoid attracting attention, my playpen also introduces me to some very interesting people over the course of the following months.

Of course, there are some things you should probably know, first. For one, my new family is quite… traditional. I'm pretty sure both of my parents come from old money, but… I'm not sure why they run a tea shop, if that's the case. The thing is, some things don't add up, even when you add in the fact that our tea shop includes services for tea ceremonies. For example, Okaa-san loves _ikebana_. Both of my parents are great at calligraphy, but Otou-san prefers ink painting.

Our shop… it's actually normal-sized for a large… shop. Most restaurants are about this size, the grocery stores and clothes shops are about the same size, apparently. I think. About 16 meters by 9 meters? So… that's 144 meters, or about 1500 square feet. We just use our space differently.

For one, we don't need that much storage, nor do we need a large kitchen. About two-thirds of the first floor is divided into different tea rooms, lined with tatami. The walls are thicker than normal, though, even if they _are_ covered in rice paper, so a lot of people come here for meetings and stuff. There are three rooms that are about two meters by (a little under than two) meters, which only fit about two people; two rooms that are about 3.5 by 1.5, and three rooms that are large, extra-large, and extra- _extra_ -large (4 x 4.5, 6 x 4, and 6 x 4.5). Mind you, my space perception is probably off, and I'm not usually allowed in there, so… the measurements are estimates only.

There are two entrances— one in the front, by the actual shop part, and the other is at the back. Most people who use the rooms come in from the back, while those who just want to buy tea (or drink tea at a small table while staring outside) come in from the front. Also, if you come from the back, it usually means that Okaa-san or Otou-san knows you.

I'm by the front, so I usually don't see what's happening back there, but from what little I _have_ seen… the people who come in that way are… interesting. There's shinobi, and people in formal clothing and businessmen and pretty _geisha_ and _maiko_ with their thick face paint and colorful _kimono_.

There's a storage room, and a small "kitchen" area (it's just got a stove for teapots, a sink, several cabinets with teacups and pots, and a small refrigerator with the stuff that people eat as they drink tea) by the desk/checkout area/help desk where Okaa-san or Otou-san usually sit, and I'm on the other side of that, tucked into a corner next to a shelf with— you guessed it— tea.

It smells _really_ nice here, all the time.

We live above the shop. The stairway connecting the upper and lower floors is in a small room right next to the back entrance, in the corner. It goes up to the living room, which is right next to the kitchen/dining room. Right past that is my room, with windows overlooking the street in front of the shop. Next to that is Okaa-san and Otou-san's room, and then, next to the living room, is a guest room that's… pretty barren. It's literally just a really big square room with a really large, room-length closet. Otou-san uses it as his office, though, so there's a cabinet and desk overflowing with paper, too.

My room is… about the same size as the guest room, but that's accounting for my bedroom, wardrobe, and bathroom. It's really big, though it's only a bit more than half the size of Otou-san and Okaa-san's bedroom. I'm happy with it, though. Any bigger, and I'd feel dwarfed by it.

I think I'm very lucky.

The bookshelf of stuffed animals is really a bit much, though. Okaa-san and Otou-san keep on worrying that I was bored, or didn't have enough things to play with… and they overcompensated. I don't think they actually know that much about raising children. I am perfectly happy with my blocks and my pillow. The stuffed animals and more… uh… collectible toys aren't really ideal to sleep with, which I think was the intended function. They're very nice and well-made, sure, but… they're not really… cuddly? They do make really nice decorations, though, and I have fun organizing them and rearranging them and… you know what, I do play with them. I have no shame in admitting that. Mock tea ceremonies are _fun_ , and flowers in general are nice. Plus, the porcelain dolls are _pretty_ , and their little costumes are really colorful and pretty.

I'm a pre-toddler, and even _Before_ , I was a child at heart. I don't care about you, societal opinions, and you can't make me stop being a kid!

But, seriously, learning how to perform tea ceremonies is pretty fun. As is arranging flowers for _ikebana_. And tea smells nice.

So… back to the topic of my playpen. To be fair, it's more of a pen and bed and chest of drawers and table all mixed into one. It looks expensive. Like, why-on-earth-are-you-giving-this-to-a-toddler expensive. It's a nice, dark wood with pretty carvings and nice drawers and some extra flat space they can leave stuff on, with space for me inside.

I can just get my head over the bars if I stand up, but I can't get myself out of it… or at least, I _couldn't_ when they first got it. But that was when I wasn't even one year old, and by now, I've grown quite a bit (thankfully). Now, with a little care and some maneuvering, I can sit on the flat area at the head and foot of the playpen. It helps that Okaa-san took the mattress out during the summer when I was two.

I don't do that when anyone can see, though. I'd rather not spark a panic and the re-emergence of the helicopter parents.

But even my spot inside the pen is is a nice place to people-watch… and hide from people. The customers are interesting to watch. There's the old lady who comes once a week and always gets green tea and something either fruity or flowery. There's the other old lady… and the _other_ old lady… there are a lot of old ladies. To be fair, there are a lot of old _people_ , in general. It's just the old ladies I'm more familiar with since they come over and pinch my cheeks.

The non-elderly customers… well, they fit into four categories. The largest are the Hyūga. They're kind of easy to pick out after a while. (Yes, they actually have white eyes, and yes, they look rather terrifying. Of course, that's more because they seem so… polite? Cold? Not cold, but… not particularly warm and cuddly.) Next are the other shinobi. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and color, but… they all have that hitai-ate and don't _usually_ make that much noise. They're also scary, but just in the sense that it's terrifying when you're lying down and suddenly someone sticks their face over the edge and _ahhhwheredidyoucomefrom?!_

There are quite a few Yamanaka. They usually deliver flowers, or other plant-related stuff, but they don't come that often. Yamanaka Inoichi-sama is quite nice. He comes about once a month, and Okaa-san often visits Yamanaka Flowers for her _ikebana_. A lot of flowers have meanings in _hanakotoba_ , the language of flowers, and it's really interesting. There's a lot of symbolism in general, to be honest. For example, _wagashi_ , traditional sweets often served with tea, which are made from _mochi_ and _anko_ , sweet azuki bean paste, is often formed into shapes that represent the season. The _ikebana_ in the rooms also is important, as well as the artwork on the scrolls that Okaa-san hangs on the walls of the tea rooms.

I'm mainly a bit annoyed that it took me three months to figure out who he was.

It took me considerably less time to figure out that another semi-frequent customer, who visits about once every two months, is the head of the Hyūga clan, Hyūga Hiashi-sama. He's very different from Yamanaka Inoichi-sama. He's… really, really intimidating. Thankfully, he isn't the one who arranges for purchase of large quantities of tea. Instead, that task belongs to his twin brother, Hyūga Hizashi-san, who is also intimidating, but not as much. Instead, Hyūga Hiashi-sama and various other Hyūga, who are pretty recognizable, just come by every once in a while to occupy our largest tea room. By 'once in a while,' I mean, about once every few months. It's not that common, and I'm thankful. They're a bit scary… though after that one visit where Hyūga Hiashi-sama discussed traditional painting and calligraphy with Okaa-san, a subject that came from his comments on a new hanging scroll Okaa-san just hung up. Anyone who likes art that much can't possibly be bad.

I established a pretty nice routine. I woke up, ate, got carried downstairs, napped, woke up, watched people, tried to eavesdrop on what they were saying, napped, woke up, watched more people, maybe ate a snack, and just repeated that pattern until someone carried me upstairs to take a bath and sleep.

Sometime during _that_ routine, my second birthday passed… and things changed.

For one, my "routine" stopped really being routine. For example, along the way, I learn that Ichiraku Teuchi-san owns a nearby store, when he comes in to buy some black tea in bulk, along with a set of tea cups. That was interesting, but not _that_ interesting. Like most customers, he's kinda old. And it's not like he has electric blue hair or something. He looks normal. He acts normal. His daughter is kind of shy, but rather nice… even if she really doesn't have much interaction with toddlers. I remember her more than Ichiraku-san. We don't get a lot of younger kids in here.

The most interesting thing, though, happened in April. There was a sudden storm early in the morning, before most of the customers arrived. Okaa-san had run off to… get something(?)... and Otou-san had run upstairs to close all the windows. That was weird in and of itself. Most storms don't start in the morning, and most of them aren't that heavy, either. But… I remember two people running inside. Well, one person. He was carrying the other "person". I remember him well because he was pretty short and… well, he wore black, and _only black_ , from head to toe. His hair was black. His eyes were black. His shirt was black. His pants were black. His shoes were black. Everything else was pale, like an off-white shade. His skin. The bandages just above his shoes. Etcetera.

Oh, and the little "person" was whining. Loudly. He was annoying. He was the loudest thing that had come inside the shop in a _while_. We don't get a lot of loud people in the shop, and what loud things we _do_ get are usually infants. Like, younger-than-me infants. This was not an infant.

I just remember that he had weird hair. The taller short person also had kinda-weird hair, though, too. Honestly, a lot of people have weird hair here.

I don't remember what I was thinking, but for one of the first times in my relatively-short life, I raised my voice. " _Ohayō_!" I called. 'Morning!

It was also funny seeing how the older person slipped in the puddle that had formed around him and barely managed to catch himself.

"Ah… _ohayō gozaimasu_ ," he responded. He had a nice voice.

"He's loud," I told him, pointing at the shorter short-person. "Tell him to stop whining. Please?"

"Right. Yes. _Shitsureishimashita_ ," he apologized, quickly whispering something to the short person.

" _Irrashaimase_ ," I mumbled monotonically. That's the typical store greeting. "Makoto _desu_ ," I said, deciding to introduce myself. "There are towels over here. You're wet."

"Ah… _arigatō_ ," taller person murmured, quickly squelching over and grabbing two, pausing. It makes sense. They're the nice towels. "What towels should I use to… clean up the water?"

I pointed at the cabinet with the rags Okaa-san and Otou-san use to mop up spills. "There."

I paused, watching him quickly towel himself and the really-small person off, before mopping up most of the water.

"Okaa-san and Otou-san should be back soon," I called, deciding to be helpful for some obscure reason.

Taller short person nodded. "May we wait here until the storm dies down?"

I blinked, nodding. "Yup!" I mean, it's not like I can say, 'no, I forbid you from staying here and force you and your…'

"Is he your brother?" I asked, pointing at the shorter short-person. That's the most logical guess, even if they don't really look _that_ alike. The shortest person has bluish tints in his hair that the taller one doesn't have.

"Hai," the taller person nodded. "Oh, my apologies. My name is Uchiha Itachi. This is my brother, Sasuke. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for letting us stay."

"Uh… you're welcome?" I responded, staring slightly. Well. That's… interesting.

And pretty soon, Okaa-san and Otou-san came back, fussed over the two, and brought them inside for larger towels. Then, when the wind quieted down a little, Okaa-san sent them off with an umbrella.

It's really amazing how much just three-to-five minutes can completely baffle a person.

After that, I just... stared at the door. I spent the next week wondering if that had _really_ happened.

* * *

Over the course of the next few months, it's as if someone up there decided that I'd had enough peace. I meet Ino-chan, who stops over with Yamanaka-sama for about half-an-hour during a weekend when Otou-san is sick and Okaa-san needs to run an errand.

I am now terrified of her. She decided that I was "cute," tried to give me a makeover, and almost managed to kidnap me.

I don't know how she managed to get her hands on lipstick, and I'm pretty sure I don't _want_ to know either. What I do know is that I spend the rest of that day glued to Okaa-san.

When summer starts, Okaa-san also starts to bring me outside on walks when she goes to get groceries, and stops by the park for about half-an-hour to let me "play." I don't play. Instead, I go crouch by ant-trail (of which there are many) to watch them instead. I don't like insects that much, and I probably never will, but ant-trails are fascinating to watch when they're not in your house. They're also fun to follow.

I hate getting them on me, though. Ants aren't like bees or ladybugs or butterflies. They're more like spiders. As in, "stay away from me and don't move, and I won't scream or try to kill you." I hate killing spiders. They also creep me out, but they're not that bad when I can pretend they're not there. Their webs are also really cool.

In fact, it's sometime after summer, around September, when I meet Aburame Shino. There was a large spider web at the edge of the park, with an interesting spider perched right in the middle. It was a really pretty web, too, with dew making the entire thing sparkle. I'd been absorbed in looking at it when I looked down… to see a little kid, about my height, in a hooded coat and dark, round sunglasses, also looking at it. I practically jump out of my skin, and for a while, I stare at him instead of the spider web.

I debate just walking away. Instead, I walk around and extend my hand. "Hello. I'm Kobayashi Makoto. Who are you?"

He hesitates before slowly, gingerly accepting my hand and shaking once. "I am Aburame Shino." Then, as if he's used up his social quota of the day, he retreats back into his shell.

"Nice to meet you, Shino-san," I reply, before pausing as I try desperately to fish for an icebreaker. "I think the web is really pretty. What do you think?"

And so begins about ten minutes of companionship. We talk about the spider web, and I show him the trail of ants (which now has an offshoot leading to a discarded apple core).

* * *

That was the second time that I decided that I wanted to see someone again. The first time was… with Itachi-san. He was interesting. But he didn't come back, and I couldn't find him. I was determined not to leave any more loose ends behind me. And so I introduced Shino-san to Okaa-san, and we made plans to meet the next morning.

And I was determined. I dragged Okaa-san and Shino-san to find his father, and made sure to get _him_ to promise to bring Shino the next day.

Aburame-sama is very intimidating, but I think he's pretty nice. At the very least, he agreed to bring Shino the next day.

And then, the next day, we meet up again and look at the ants again. Again, I make Aburame-sama promise the bring Shino the day after, and sure enough, the day after, we meet again. And for another half-hour or so, we look at stuff and just… talk. That repeats, and it becomes a pattern. August turns to September, and the leaves turn red and brown and crunchy as the days shorten and get colder. There are hiccups, of course. Sometimes, Shino can't make it one day. Another time, I get sick. Still other times, Okaa-san or Aburame-sama have something they need to do. And other times, I stay with Shino for longer than a half-hour.

Things chang in November, when snow starts falling. It gets _really_ cold, _really_ quickly. Our playdates move to the shop and take place less often, around twice a week instead of every day. It's not that bad, though. Shino stays over for longer for when he _does_ visit, and I spend a lot of time just… watching the snow.

I love snow. It seems weirdly heavy, though, and Okaa-san and Otou-san agree. I hear them talking. It's still fun to watch. And it's also fun to watch the people clearing the snow. There aren't cars or anything, so everyone clears the snow by hand. It's fun seeing the fresh, clean blanket in the morning, then the people as they start shoveling little pathways through it, then the little bits of color as the layers of snow thin.

Shino doesn't like the snow as much. He's always cold, and seems a bit slower and grumpier than before. I think it might be because of the bugs? I don't know.

It's during a visit in early December that I invite Shino to my birthday party. It's also in December, not too long after I invited Shino to my birthday party, that I first meet "Ojii-sama." He's probably best known as Hokage-sama or Sandaime-sama. He knows Okaa-san well. He even calls her "Kimiko- _chan_ ," which is _weird_ , because she's my _Okaa-san_. He came over for tea. Because, apparently Okaa-san's birthday is also in December. Cool.

I spent most of that (pretty short) meeting gnawing grumpily on a rice cracker and staring at the weird old man. He's surprisingly short.

He didn't stay for long, either, which I guess makes sense. He dropped by before the shop opened, there was a round of greetings, I was introduced to him, and the adults shared a cup of tea. The only interesting thing I got was that, apparently, the snow was really, _really_ heavy this year. And to be honest, I kinda figured that out for myself.

I did like the weird monkey plushie he gave me, though. It's not furry— it's either knit or crocheted or something— or overstuffed—- in fact, it's more the opposite— but I actually like that. It also has a cool storage pouch in its stomach… where I found a toy _shuriken_. I deadpanned _so_ hard at that.

After he left, I decided to take a nap. I probably shouldn't have. When I woke up, I found a small "pillow" stuffed with ammunition, in the form of small bean bags. I also found a set of two wooden kunai and three shuriken… and Okaa-san and Otou-san arguing over a doll. I only understood little bits and pieces of their conversation. It's something about a friend of Okaa-san, something that's "too expensive" and… it's a bit of a muddle. What I _did_ know was that the doll is pretty and I wanted to hold it. And so, I asked.

Okaa-san and Otou-san broke apart, and Okaa-san rushed over. I asked for the doll. After a brief moment of hesitation, she carefully brought it over and explained that it was a gift to me from a friend of hers, but that there must have been a mistake or somet—

I promptly decided that I liked it and asked to keep it.

And thus began an hour-long conversation about the differences between boys and girls and an explanation of a festival called "Hinamatsuri," which is what the doll was for. There was a long, _long_ "argument" consisting of me stubbornly refusing to relinquish my new doll and Otou-san trying to convince me that it wasn't a toy, and Okaa-san trying to mediate.

Celebrated each year on 3 March, platforms covered with a red carpet-material are used to display a set of ornamental dolls, _hina-ningyō_ , representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

So, first off… Hinamatsuri is one of the five seasonal festivals that were held on auspicious dates of the lunar calendar: the first day of the first month, the third day of the third month, and so on. Now, it's just 1 January, 3 March, 5 May, 7 July, and 9 September. This festival was traditionally known as the Peach Festival (桃の節句 _Momo no Sekku_ ), as peach trees typically began to flower around the time, and although that's no longer really true, the name stayed the same, as did the symbolism of peaches.

The primary aspect of Hinamatsuri is the display of seated male and female dolls, _obina_ and _mebina_ , usually on red cloth. More elaborate displays will include a multi-tiered doll stand ( _hinadan_ ) of dolls that represent ladies of the court, musicians, and other attendants, with all sorts of other stuff. The entire set of dolls and accessories is called the _hinazakari_ , and the number of tiers and dolls usually depends on how much money someone wants to spend.

According to Okaa-san, the two main dolls are handed down in her family, and she actually has two that were meant for me… before they realized that I wasn't a girl. Usually, the _hinazakari_ spends of most of the year in storage, and girls and their mothers begin setting up the display a few days before 3 March (boys normally do not participate, as 5 May is supposed to be their— sorry, _our_ — festival). Traditionally, the dolls were supposed to be put away by the day after Hinamatsuri. Historically, the dolls were used as toys, but now they're more for display only. The display of dolls usually discontinues when the girls reach 10 years old. According to Okaa-san, that's when the girls in her family get their own personal _obina_ and _mebina_ , so that they can save the traditional ones for their children.

There's also a bunch of traditional foods and so on during the days before the festival, but I don't remember most of the names. There's just something about _chirashizushi_ and _mochi_ and _daifuku_ and… yeah, I forgot the rest. There was something about clams, though.

Basically, the problem here is that I am not a girl. Apparently, Okaa-san's friend is a shinobi, and rather socially awkward, too, so he didn't realize that the _hinamatsuri_ dolls were supposed to be for girls only, and thus not for me. He also, apparently, doesn't have much experience with kids, hence the assortment of presents. I barely had enough time to hide a _kunai_ and _shuriken_ inside my new pillow before Okaa-san and Otou-san confiscated those. They left the pillow, thankfully.

I think I like the pillow. It's made of this tough, canvas-thread-like material and looks as if someone picked all of the brightest threads they could fine and wove them together. It's got all my favorite colors, alizarin crimson and viridian green and pthalo blue. Personally, I think the person just picked the most colorful thing they could find. I like this person.

Later on, I drag the pillow and knit-monkey into my room. By then, I've managed to get my way, and I could tell that Okaa-san's really excited. She found the _obina_ and _mebina_ , and she helped carry the dolls to my room. Okaa-san let me hold them, and then showed me how to pack them carefully, promising to leave them inside my closet and help me set them up come May. She made me promise to keep them a secret. I agreed, thrilled to have such pretty dolls.

* * *

On my third birthday, I wake up smiling. I even make an effort to put away my _fūton_ — though that's more along the lines of folding it in half and awkwardly dragging it into my closet.

I run to my chair, awkwardly pulling myself. "Ohayō!" I call to Okaa-san and Otou-san. Good morning.

"Ohayō, Makoto-kun!" Okaa-san calls from where she's setting plates down at the table. "Happy birthday!" Otou-san's over by the stove, and he waves.

Soon, Okaa-san passes me a bowl of soup, and another bowl of rice with a tea-stained egg— my favorite! I also get a plate with cold tofu (with _negi_ , chopped green onions, and soy sauce) and grilled _saba_ — mackerel. I love fish, but the bones can sometimes be pretty tricky without Okaa-san's help.

I wait until everyone's sitting down before starting in on the food. "Itadakimasu!" I murmur, clapping my hands together. I'm _starving_ and these are some of my favorite foods!

* * *

After breakfast, I brush my teeth and change into the clothes that Okaa-san picked out as she brushes my hair (a pretty simple task, given how short it is) and tugs a majority of it into a small high ponytail. Okaa-san arranges the strands that aren't long enough so that they "frame my face."

I just sit through it. I like it when Okaa-san plays with my hair. It's soothing.

Afterwards, she buttons up the thick, high-collared, fur-lined, knee-length coat that she got for me when snow started falling. It's my favorite. It's this beautiful blue-grey color, and it matches my… general color scheme _really_ well, and it's soft and pretty and… I just really like it, okay? It was a bit loose two months ago, but now it's a bit too tight if I wear more than two layers underneath.

I head over to the front of the shop, taking a seat at one of the tables by a window. The heaters aren't on, so it's nice and chilly. I keep an eye out the window, though my focus moves from the road to the condensation forming on the window. Using my finger, I draw lines and shapes in the window. I'm working on a rather decent rendition of a cat, when the a bell tinkles. My head snaps over to the door. My face breaks into a smile, and I hop off the chair, rushing over to the front.

I bounce on my feet as Shino-kun and his father come in. "Yōkoso," I chirp, bowing quickly. Welcome! "Sorry it's a bit cold out here. I know we usually stay out here… and I know you just got in… but… if you would follow me? There's a back entrance."

I slip on my shoes (which I'd brought just for this reason), holding my slippers in one hand and lead them back out the shop with another tinkle of the bell hanging at the door. After taking two rights, I quickly scramble through the alley, take _another_ right, and quickly slip in through the back door. It is _cold_.

I trade my shoes for slippers, leaving them on the rack, and gesture for Shino-kun and his father to do the same. Here, it's a bit warmer, and they also leave their coats on the hooks. I fold mine over my arm, shivering a bit, and scurry up the stairs.

"Tadaima, Okaa-san," I call. I'm back!

"Okaeri," she replies, walking over. "Ah, yōkoso, Aburame-sama, Shino-kun," she smiles, bowing. They bow back, Shino-kun a little lower than his father.

Shino-kun shifts a little, evidently awkward, before holding out… "A present? For me?" He nods. "Oh, thanks!" I grin excitedly. "Can I open it now, or…"

He nods again, and I almost squeal. Instead I blurt, "Okaa-san, can we go to my room? _Please?_ "

She smiles, and I immediately grab Shino-kun's hand, practically dragging him over to my room.

* * *

After introducing Shino-kun to all of my toys, unwrapping his present (a really pretty wire-and-glass butterfly of the type that you usually find in garden shops, but nicer), we sit down at the kitchen table for… the traditional way of celebrating birthdays in Konohagakure. Normally, people here don't really celebrate birthdays, especially in the more rural regions. However, shinobi villages make a pretty big deal out of birthdays, apparently. I think that the low life expectancies have something to do with that.

A lot of people just spend effort cooking something nice, maybe get a new set of clothes, or spend some time on themself. A lot of people, especially children get sweets. There's an entire set of stuff that represents long life, too. There's also a thing with writing a wish on a leaf and burning it, but that's a bit hard to do year-round, so people often just substitute leaf-shaped pieces of paper.

I just draw a picture, and Otou-san burns it carefully in a bowl.

Then, we get cake and daifuku (mochi stuffed with anko, sweetened red bean paste) and taiyaki (a fish-shaped… pastry?… also filled with red bean paste) and cream anmitsu, a dessert made of small cubes of a type of jelly in a bowl with _anko_ , boiled peas, soft mochi, and fruit, as well as _mitsu_ , a type of sweet black syrup, and in this case, ice cream on top!

I especially like the cake. I got to watch Okaa-san make it, and it's hundreds of… I think crepes… stacked on top of each other with layers of home-whipped semi-sweet cream blended with _matcha_ powder, with more _matcha_ sprinkled on top.

I've seen Youtube videos of this thing _Before_ , and I can assure you, it tastes _amazing_. It tastes better than it looks, and it already looks awesome. Seriously, I think this is my new favorite type of cake.

After the cake and other sweets, Shino and I go back to my room to play around some more. When you're small, it's surprisingly easy to play hide-and-go seek in your room, especially when you can make the person who's It stay outside the room. Shino's… good at hiding, in the sense that he's very good at making himself small and not moving or making any noise, but… he's not as creative as me. Considering how I routinely find the weirdest—- and most uncomfortable, and dangerous— hiding spots, that's probably a good thing. Seriously, while I can fit inside a drawer… and in the cupboard under the sink… and behind clothes on a shelf… I do get a bit claustrophobic at times. It gets warm, hard to breathe… and then I kind of panic. That's not really good. I'm trying to work on that.

When I'm trying to catch Shino after finding him behind the door, a knock sounds. I turn to see Okaa-san and Otou-san with Aburame-sama.

"Oh." I slump. "Is it time for Shino to go?"

Aburame-sama nods, and Shino quickly gets up. "Ah… goodbye, Makoto-san. Happy birthday… and thank you for inviting me," he murmurs quietly, shuffling over to his father. But he pauses, tugging on his father's sleeve. He whispers something, and after a short whispered exchange, he brightens up.

His father turns to face us. "Shino would like to ask whether Makoto-kun would free to visit the Aburame compound on the twenty-third of this month."

I gasp. "Right, it's Shino's birthday, isn't it?"

Shino nods, hunching over slightly. "Since you've been so nice as to invite me… I thought…"

I smile widely, bouncing on my toes. I run over to Okaa-san and Otou-san. "Please? May I go? _Pleeeeaaase?_ "

Okaa-san relents. "Of course!" She turns to Aburame-sama. "Oh, where should I drop Makoto-kun off? Or…"

"We can come pick Makoto-kun up at… 9:30 in the morning," Aburame-sama suggests. "Would that be agreeable?"

Okaa-san thinks a little, then nods. "Definitely. We shall see you then," she smiles. "Oh, and would you like any of the remaining sweets?"

Shino tugs on his father's sleeve again, and his father responds, "If you have any _taiyaki_ left…"

"Of course," Okaa-san responds, heading over to the kitchen.

Otou-san steps out. "No need. I have some right here," he gestures, handing over a foil package.

"Thank you, Kobayashi-san," Shino murmurs.

Otou-san laughs a little. "You're welcome."

Shino pauses… then rushes over. I stiffen in surprise as he hugs me. "Thanks, Makoto."

I smile, returning it. "You're welcome. Really, thanks for coming."

Okaa-san, Otou-san, and I see them down the stairs and to the door, where they bundle up again. I stand in the doorway, waving.

As they leave, I see Shino-kun turning doing the same, and I call, "See you in a few days!"

When they turn the corner, I turn and head back in after Okaa-san. I'm tired. I stretch, yawning behind my hand, as I slump back up the stairs. I brush my teeth, splash some water on my face, and change into pajamas, before wishing Okaa-san and Otou-san goodnight.

That night, wrapped in my _fūton_ , I grin.

I get to visit a shinobi compound.

That… is _so cool!_

* * *

Though I do not want

To stay in this floating world,

If I should remain here,

No doubt I shall remember fondly

The bright moon of this dark night.

— Emperor Sanjo

* * *

心にも

あらで浮世に

ながらへば

恋しかるべき

夜半の月かな

— 三条院

* * *

_Kokoro ni mo_

_Arade ukiyo ni_

_Nagaraeba_

_Koishikaru beki_

_Yowa no tsuki kana_

_— Sanjo In_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is ShadowAccio6181. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! It's my first story, but I'm really invested in it— this is my** _ **third rewrite**_ **of this chapter already, and there is a reason I'm posting what is _technically_ the same story again. (-_-)**

**The poem is from Hyakunin Isshu, an anthology of poems. I borrowed elements from two individual translations of the poem in an effort to make it better suit the tone of this chapter.**

**I'm consolidating a lot of what I have, but I don't want to delete chapters, so a lot of my work doesn't actually count as an update by policies.**

**Speaking of reviews, though, please review! Even if it's just "hi." Reviews encourage me to keep writing. For reviews with constructive criticism and/or questions, I try to respond with a PM (personal message) when possible.**

**Now, for a little bit of my writing style. The Naruto culture is… an interesting one, to say the least, and I will be diving into it. For example, I plan to introduce and explain a few of the cultural festivals in Japan, especially if they often appear in popular culture— like cherry-blossom-viewing, also known as Hanami. And there are other things that need explaining— for example, Makoto's not going to have pancakes and waffles for breakfast. However, at the same time, unless you ask, I won't be putting a glossary of terms in the Author's Notes section. (If you ask, I'm perfectly willing, but… yeah.) Though... by that same vein... if anyone is familiar with Japanese language and/or culture, I would highly appreciate someone**

**The next few chapters will, essentially, be educational, introductory filler.** _ **Naruto**_ **has a large cast of characters, and Konohagakure is a big place. Plus, there are a bunch of Japanese and** _ **Naruto**_ **-specific terms that need defining. If it helps, though, the first "arc" will be in chapter 7.**

**Actually, that will also be the entire arc. I'm basically consolidating five chapters into one. (^_^)**

**Now, for my update schedule. I'm _trying_ to update weekly, on Friday/Saturday, but that might not remain consistent. I'm a junior right now, and I am... pretty swamped. But I definitely plan on trying my best to stick by that schedule!**

**Best regards,**

**ShadowAccio6181**


	2. Visit to the Aburame Compound

_At the break of day,_

_As though the light of the lingering moon_

_Lightened the dim scene,_

_The village in the leaves lay_

_In a haze of falling snow._

* * *

A couple of days later, I'm practically bouncing at the prospect of _finally_ getting to visit the Aburame compound. A couple of days earlier, I went shopping with Okaa-san, and we found this _enormous_ caterpillar plushie to serve as a present! It's like two meters long, and my arms can barely fit around it. Luckily, it's squishy enough that we've managed to fold it in thirds and squeeze it into a box I can actually carry.

It's a beautiful day, too— sunny and delightfully balmy. A surprise, especially for the usually slightly-milder weather of early January. Must be a thaw day.

That should have been warning number one. When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Okaa-san dresses me, and I twirl in the mirror. I've got my favorite coat on along with soft grey boots, this amazingly fluffy, dark scarf, and a white knit hat and gloves.

Otou-san is the first to notice.

With a spew of coffee, followed by a series of racking coughs, Otou-san chokes out, "Makoto-kun's not seriously going to Aburame compound in… that?"

"Otou-san, what's wrong?" I ask. I'm confused.

Otou-san takes a deep breath. "Kimiko... anata... I can accept you buying clothes in pastel colors… and bright kimonos… even clothes with floral patterns. But… okay, I know you wanted a girl, but Makoto's…"

Okaa-san pouts. "But Makoto-chan looks so much cuter this way, and I wanted him to make a good impression. Besides, he's prettier than most girls!"

He sighs. "At least get rid of the sable-fur scarf. Honestly. Why did you put your sable-fur scarf on him? He's _three_."

I mentally facepalm. Ah, right. This is one of the reasons that my new gender doesn't bother me. Much. I've never really placed much stock in gender. The majority of my clothes in my previous life where mostly neutral tones. Add that to the fact that I had a very not-feminine build, and … yeah.

Using the restroom was something I had first tried to mentally blank out. Honestly, I was too busy trying to ignore the fact that my parents were watching and, occasionally, trying to help me! Then, it had somehow just become second nature… practice does make perfect. Of course, it's still fine to sit on the toilet seat. I just usually need to remember to… aim. MOVING ON!

The point, regardless, is that compared to my one-hundred-and-one worries, I hadn't had much time for worrying about… that. And honestly, that's the only distinction in kids of my age, apart from the clothing.

And my Kaa-san didn't help in regards to the clothing. It's kinda ridiculous that I just realized, but Okaa-san had progressed slowly, and I had made a promise early on to be as good a child to my new parents as possible. So, I hadn't put up a continued fuss to anything.

Apparently, I should have. Oh, well.

But honestly, I prefer this to the onesies. Those are only cute when they're loose, animal-themed, and completely cover the body. The leotard-esque ones for babies do not count. They're uncomfortable and they chafe.

* * *

I wait downstairs, at the same table where I'd waited for Shino on my birthday. It's a nice, surprisingly warm, sunny day… and the sunlight streams in through the window, warming the table. It's warm. In fact, it's so warm that I take off my gloves and hat and scarf.

I'm tired. I'd been so excited last night that I didn't get much sleep… and I'd woken up _way_ too early.

I yawn, rubbing my face, before slumping forward. It's still pretty early… surely just closing my eyes for a while will be fine?

Pretty soon, I'm conked out.

* * *

I startle awake when an unfamiliar hand starts petting my hair.

"Chichi-ue, she's drooling. Is that normal?"

"Shino…" a voice sighs.

Wait, what? I jolt upright.

Ouch!

My head smacks into something hard… and I hear a loud _crack!_

I blink groggily. I'm at the table… Aburame-same is sitting next to me… and Shino's on the other side of the table, sitting right opposite me… and I just accidentally headbutted Aburame Shibi-sama.

"I am so, _so_ sorry."

I hear a choked cough, and I turn… to see Otou-san doing his best not to laugh. I deadpan, turning back to Aburame-sama.

"I am so sorry, I didn't realize…" that you were there. "Sorry, I was really excited yesterday… and I didn't sleep that much… and…" I pause. "…yeah."

More silence filled with completely unsubtle laughter. I'm very noticeably _not_ looking away from the table. The wood grain is really interesting. Still… "I'm sorry for falling asleep and accidentally headbutting you in the face and maybe breaking your nose?"

More silence follows, before I hear the scraping of a chair against the floor and a hand ruffles my hair.

"I will be fine. I _have_ had worse… as hard as your skull is, it is not quite strong enough to match an angry Iwa-nin's jutsu. Besides that, the high neckline of our coats is… more than sufficient to… disguise any… discoloration."

I drop my head back into my minds. "Sorry again. Can… we… just go? Please?" I mumble, words muffled by my hands. "Please."

I hear a low chuckle, before there's a tinkle at the door.

"Let's go," Shino calls softly. "I want to show you the butterfly greenhouse. And the spider webs are prettiest in the morning, while there's still dew on them."

I smile in relief, grateful at the lifeline he just threw me. "Yeah, that would be awesome! Let's go!"

* * *

I think I like this compound. Not because I love bugs. In fact, I used to despise flies. I'm pretty sure I still do. I put a respectful between me and just about everything else.

Except spiders.

I try to stay away… they just always find me.

And I mean, always. I think my mild phobia started when they started following me everywhere.

Everywhere.

At first, it was just the spiders in my bathroom. One, maybe two a year. Then, at least one every month. I hated killing them. At first, I'd tried flushing them down the toilet, but I always felt so guilty afterwards. Sometimes, I'd even cry.

After a while, I either got my Dad, or wrapped them up in a tissue and set them free outside. At some point, they'd stopped.

I chalked my experiences up to coincidence and moved on.

One day, many years later, I opened up my textbook and found two little spiders scrambling between the pages. I shook out my textbook outside, by a tree, during recess and moved on.

Several days later, I was doing homework. At one point, I'd leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. Well, I'd meant to. I got kinda distracted by this enormous spider that was falling towards me. No, not falling. Descending via a piece of thread… correction, webbing. I'd shrieked and ran to find Dad. We moved it outside.

A week or so later, I woke up to find my basil plant, my one basil plant, playing host to over nine little orb spiders and their nests. I just watered the plant and silently freaked out.

I got desensitized very quickly.

That web in the backyard monkey bars that spanned the better part of a square meter? Okay. I left it alone.

That beautiful dew-encrusted spectacle that appeared overnight at school? I admired the artistry from afar.

Perhaps most telling was the past September. On my last day of an overnight, three-day-long field trip with my grade, I had decided that I wanted to take a shower. I opened the shower curtains. There were two spiders. I calmly closed the curtains, washed my hands, and exited the bathroom.

I told my friends, and stayed perched on my sleeping bag while one of my roommates went to dispose of the spiders. I had asked for them to be simply removed, but several of my roommates wanted their deaths, and killing them was, unfortunately, the easiest way.

It turns out, however, that there weren't only two spiders. Another somehow appeared on the other side of the shower stall, one was perched on the walls, one was on the shower curtain, and four fell from the ceiling. There were ten spiders in all. I soon stuffed that in the "do not think" section of my brain and moved on.

Now, though, I can just get Shino or Aburame-sama to help when insects get inside the house. They can actually "talk" with them and shoo them outside the house so the insects don't just keep running themselves into glass windows and lightbulbs.

Anyways back to the subject. Yes. Wait, first let me remedy my earlier statement. My aforementioned "polite distance" did/does not apply to bees. I love(d) bees. They're so vibrant, so industrious, and they make the most delicious honey… ahem. Right.

Back to the compound.

Not all of the compounds are this closely-linked, apparently. Many clans, like the Akimichi or Yamanaka, are very spread-out and don't really have a compound, so much as a general area they occupy. Some have a general area and a central building/house where a lot of them live/work. The Aburame have… a series of houses… the all surround this park-like-place with buildings for… I think research?... and greenhouses and other stuff. There's also a lot of parts underground, so the compound is _really_ big, even if it doesn't look like much.

There are lots of individual sections, like one for arachnids, one for termites, mosquitoes, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, flies (normal, house, and horse), and other rarer creatures. Apart from all being technically "bugs", or "insects," they all have one important thing in common- they have a characteristic that the Aburame are trying to breed into the _kikaichū_ (the insects the Aburame control), they're a species that the Aburame are studying, or have a peculiarity that somehow helps Aburame children develop control of _kikaichū_.

They never tell me what traits they're trying to develop, why they're studying a species, or how the Aburame actually control the _kikaichū_ , to my disappointment, but I do learn that Shino-kun's currently trying to control spider. He's first trying to get them to weave words into their webs, then entire messages.

Of course, once I heard this, I got really excited. Spider silk is very, very strong. Even in the other world, I had heard of a large piece of clothing being made out of spider silk. Of course, the weaving and everything would have to be done by humans… or maybe not.

I tap Shino on the shoulder. "When you make them spell things, can you also control whether the string is sticky?"

I'm lucky. He's intelligent, but not enough realize that these sentence structures are just a little too mature. Yeah, I probably shouldn't have taken the risk, but I had already exhausted most of my patience for babying. I tried to dumb it down as much as I could… I'm not sure of how much I succeeded.

His answer is concise. "Yes."

I press my train of thought. "Could you also make them put their strings on a spool or something?"

"Webbing. And spools… the ones for sewing?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Would it also be harder to also use, say… ants… to weave things? Like fabrics? So it would also be good practice!"

"Your point?"

"You can use ants to weave spider-silk into fabric! And you told me that spider silk is strong, so it would make really strong clothes!" I mentally wince at my wording, but I'm pretty sure my point is clear.

"... let me ask Chichi-ue."

That's a maybe!

And it turns out that my idea was rather novel, but easily doable. Aburame Shibi-sama was rather intrigued. And Shino's also excited.

The end result is that Shino wants to get started on trying that right away, and if he's successful, I might get a spider-silk scarf on my next birthday. If he's not, it might just be a handkerchief or something, but we're being positive.

It's also them that an Aburame enters the room with an urgent message for Aburame-sama

The message isn't good.

"Makoto-kun… I am afraid that your parents are in the emergency operating room at the Konoha Hospital."

* * *

I didn't actually get exactly what happened, but from the hysterical ramblings of Kaa-san's many, many friends, who stopped by the shop, I managed to piece together that Kaa-san and Tou-san were shopping, a cart was skidding out of control due to the icy mess on the streets, and the cart ran into my parents when they rounded a corner, burdened with their many bags.

When I first heard, well, I felt like the universe had a sense of cruel irony. Because the shinobi who was waiting in the living room of Aburame-sama's house introduced himself as Yamanaka Santa. Santa!

Well, Santa, I daresay that this is a rather… unwelcome… present.

By now, I've passed the stage of disbelief and have moved on to worry. Slightly hysterical worry.

I chew the fried rice angrily. It's good fried rice, don't get me wrong— Aburame-sama is very nice in cooking, and while he says he's not that good at it, his fried rice is pretty good.

I let out a muffled whine, dropping my head onto the table.

Will they be okay? Recover? What exactly is wrong? Broken arm? Broken leg? Dislocated shoulder? Twisted ankle? Internal trauma?

I'm a teenager and… no, I'm actually not anymore, huh? Well, I'm a mature individual, mentally if not physically, and I demand answers!

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn around.

Aburame-sama is there, and he pats me on the head. I'm thankful for him. He walked me home and stayed with me as I tried to understand everything that was happening. Shino was tired, so he stayed at his home, but… Aburame-sama is a nice person.

"Do not worry, Makoto-kun. Your parents will be okay."

* * *

*Knock, knock, knock*

Someone's knocking?

I peek around the banister. Aburame-sama follows behind me.

Wow, the ANBU uniform is really creepy.

"Good afternoon, ANBU-san," I murmur, bowing. "Is… is there something you need?"

My mind immediately flashes to what happened to Okaa-san and Otou-san, but…

"No, Kobayashi-san, merely a task." He pauses. "Has Hyūga Hizashi arrived yet? Or… Mitarashi… Anko?"

I blink, trying to remember their faces amidst the crowd. "No? I don't think so… they _might_ have stopped by, but… do you need them or something?"

Aburame-sama coughs, interrupting. "Hokage-sama is taking charge of this… situation?" he asks ANBU-san.

"Hai, Aburame-sama," ANBU-san responds.

Aburame-sama nods slowly, before crouching down in front of me. "I should be returning home soon, Makoto. The ANBU will take care of you, and I have confidence that Hokage-sama has everything well in hand. Will you be okay on your own?"

I nod, smiling. "Thank you, Aburame-sama. For everything. Tell Shino I'm sorry that… this interrupted his birthday. I hope he likes the caterpillar."

Aburame-sama gives me a hug, squeezing tightly. "Do not worry, Makoto-kun. I have full confidence that your parents will be okay. And… you will always be welcome at the Aburame compound, if you need us."

My eyes tear up, and I squeeze back, even tighter. "Thank you, Aburame-sama," I whisper.

He gives one last comforting squeeze, then releases me, straightening up. "Call me Shibi, Makoto-kun. I… will be off then. Stay safe." He looks over at the ANBU, who nods, then turns to leave the shop.

"Bye, bye, Shibi-sama!" I call.

The door shuts softly with a tinkle of the bell, and I turn to ANBU-san. "So… do you need Anko-san or Hizashi-san for something?"

The ANBU responds, "No… not precisely." He pauses. "Mitarashi Anko-san enthusiastically accepted a D-rank mission assigned by Hokage-same to… take care of this shop. Hyūga Hiashi-sama was worried about the maturity of Mitarashi-san and her capacity for public relations, and thus assigned Hyūga Hizashi-san to the mission as well."

I blink.

I have a great deal of respect for Hokage-sama. That being said, I'm also starting to believe that the craziness of his shinobi is contagious.

Why? Because I'm pretty sure that having Mitarashi Anko-san man the counter of a tea shop that caters to a primarily _civilian_ clientele is a recipe for a rather big mess… and that reminds me, I should probably put out a sign on the back door.

And while Hyūga Hiashi-sama had undoubtedly good intentions, I have a bad feeling that adding Hyūga Hizashi-san in an effort to rein in Mitarashi Anko-san's… antics… will have the exact opposite result. Anko-san visited only occasionally, mostly for free samples of some of the tea and/or treats or to gawk, but… that's been enough to give me an idea of her character.

Oh, wait. Speaking of the sign… I can't write. As in, I don't know how. I bite my lip, frowning. Hmmm…

"ANBU-san, did you have anything else you need to do?" I ask.

"I have been ordered to wait until Hyūga Hizashi arrives, then bring you to Hokage-sama to arrange for your… living arrangements," he replies formally.

I suddenly remember my manners. "Oh, wait, ANBU-san, do you want something to drink in the meantime? We have some water, fruit juice, tea, rice crackers…"

The ANBU seems a little shocked, but I have no idea why.

"May I please have some green tea? Sencha, that is," the Anbu asks after a few moments.

"Sure," I chirp, " _Asamushi_ or _fukamushi_? And hot, right?" _Asamushi_ sencha is "light-steamed" sencha, which means it's steamed for about 30-60 seconds. _Fukamushi_ , or "deep-steamed," on the other hand, is steamed for 1-2 minutes. _Asamushi_ is usually more popular, but…

" _Fukamushi_ , please, and yes, if possible," ANBU-san replies. After a moment, he adds, awkwardly, "...do you need any help?"

I shake my head. "You don't need to. Though, if possible, could you write something for me? I need to put a sign on the back door, and… Idon'tknowhowtowrite," I mumble under my breath.

I quickly grab a mug and kettle from the cupboard, pulling over a stool while I'm at it. In a matter of minutes, I've filled the kettle and left it to heat on the stove.

In the minute or so that it takes for the kettle to start whistling, I've dragged my very tall stool over to the tea cabinets and started rooting around, careful to look at the symbols my parents use as labeling.

Matcha… sweetened matcha… black… rosehip… oolong… oh, that's where the jasmine tea went… chamomile… mint… aha! Sencha!

Thank goodness that sencha is one of the more common teas. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have learned to brew it yet. As it is, the brewing process is rather simple, and one of the first things Kaa-san taught me, apart from the names of the most common teas.

I quickly spoon the leaves into a teapot, a white ceramic one with a filter and handle, before carefully crawling off my stool and going over to the stove as the kettle whistles. I take out another two cups and, pouring some in one cup, pour the water from one to the other to cool the water slightly.

I then place the cup of water on the edge of the counter, hop off my stool, and carry the cup over to the teapot, pouring it carefully over the leaves. I set a small timer as I carefully arrange some senbei on a platter and carry it over to the table.

Turning around, I crawl back onto the stool and grab one of the nice ceramic cups, wiping it with one of the clean cloth squares on the counter. When the timer goes off, I carefully pour the sencha into the cup, careful to get every drop out, gently tap the back of the teapot, and put the lid on, making sure to prop it up so as to not oversteam the tea leaves.

I shuffle over to the guest and present the ANBU with the tea, grabbing a bowl and filling it with some rice crackers as an afterthought. "Here's your sencha, ANBU-san. I also hope you like the _senbei_. I'll go get some paper and a pen now."

I hurry up the stairs and to Otou-san's office, where I look in the drawers for a sheet of paper and some tape and grab a pen off the desk. I quickly scramble back down the stairs.

"ANBU-san, here's paper and a pen," I murmur. "Could you please write, ' _Sorry, we're closed until Okaa-san and Otou-san get out of the hospital. They had an accident._ '?"

ANBU-san nods and does as requested… or so I assume. He could be writing the secret of life, and I wouldn't know any better. Still… he is remarkably silent. After he's done writing, I grab the paper. "Thanks, ANBU-san! I'll go put it on the back door, now."

"Do you need any help, Kobayashi-san?" ANBU-san asks.

"...I think I'll be okay," I decide, going to grab my trusty stool. 'Kobayashi-san?' That's… that's my _parents_ , not me. ANBU-san is _way too_ formal.

I carry it down the hall, careful not to bump it against the walls. Let's see… should I tape it on the door? ...It's _paper_ , though, and I'm not sure it'd stay there.

At the back entrance, I plop the stool down and look around. Let's see… when people first come in, they put their sandals here, then… they go…

Oh, that could work.

I _could_ tape the paper on the wall above the sandals, but people might not read that. I could also tape it to the top of the sandal rack… but it might be better to tape it at eye-level on the _noren_ , the fabric divider we have hanging at the entrance to the hallway. And if I also tape the divider closed, people probably won't walk in.

I'll put it there.

Setting my stool near the wall, I climb up it, keeping a hand on the wall to stabilize myself. Once on it, I wobble a little, but I don't fall. Carefully leaning over, I tape the sign to the fabric, using extra tape to tape the gap in the center of the _noren_ shut.

Hopping off the stool, I examine my handiwork. Yeah. I think that'll do.

I rush back over to the front of the shop… but ANBU-san's not alone. There are… two other people with him. There's a short girl with purple hair, and I squeal. "Anko-san!"

"Hey, little guy," she grins, crouching down. "Isn't this a welcome surprise? I like the new Makoto-kun!"

Yeah… a bit of background info. Until that April last year, I hadn't really bothered talking to people. I'd just smiled, cooed, and waved, for the most part. After April, I tried to change things. I met Shino, and got more outspoken, more like I was _Before_ , and… things changed a bit. I haven't seen Anko-san in a while, though. And even now, I don't talk much with the shinobi customers. I'm too nervous that they'll end up realize I'm… _different_ … and… stuff will happen that I don't want.

I grin at Anko-chan, before turning and waving to Hyūga Hizashi-san. He sometimes gives me sweets.

"Konnichiwa, Hizashi-san!" I chirp, bowing.

"Hello, Makoto-kun," he replies. "Mitarashi-san and I will be helping out at the shop until your Otou-san and Okaa-san get better, okay?"

I nod. "But there are rules!" I count on my fingers. Let's see… to be fair, there's only really one big one. "No going into the rooms, 'kay? Only the three small ones and the storage room and this room." I look at Anko-san especially when I'm saying this. "Otou-san gets upset when you try to sneak in."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

I bite my cheek. I _know_ I'm only a three-year-old, but…

A hand ruffles my hair. "Don't worry, Makoto-kun," Hizashi-san says gently. "I'll make sure Anko-san behaves, okay?"

To my embarrassment, my eyes get shiny, and I hug Hizashi-san, burying my face in the side of his leg. "Thanks," I mumble, voice muffled by the cloth.

"Daijōbu," he responds, patting my head. It's okay.

"Kobayashi-kun, we should be going. Hokage-sama is waiting for you," ANBU-san says.

I huff. "ANBU-san, just call me Makoto. Makoto- _kun_ , if you have to, but Ma-ko-to. Kobayashi-san is Okaa-san or Otou-san."

"Hai… Makoto… -kun," ANBU-san responds awkwardly.

I grab my jacket from the hanger by the door. "ANBU-san, where are we going?"

"The Hokage tower," ANBU-san responds abruptly.

"Okay," I decide. "Are we just going to… walk there, or…"

An idea hits me. "Can you use some fancy ninja technique?"

"No." The reply is brusk and to the point.

"Please, please, pleeeeaasse? It's really cold."

I put on my best puppy-dog eyes.

"Those won't work on me. I actually have puppies who try and use them when begging for treats. My answer is still no," he responds.

I crank up the cuteness with a slight pout and quivering bottom lip.

"Pleeeeaaasse?"

"No… that… wouldn't be…"

I pinch my hand hard in an effort to bring some tears to my eyes.

"I…" He hesitates, before sighing. "Fine."

ANBU-san looks away, and I hear him mumbling. "How did I succumb to… to _puppy-dog eyes_?"

I smile brightly. "Thank you so much, ANBU-san!"

He looks away again, and I hear more mumbling. "... that combination technique of yours is deadly."

* * *

The ANBU _shunshins_ me to the Hokage Residence. It's awesome. The _shunshin_ , that is. It's almost like flying, but there's none of that stomach-in-throat feeling that you get on roller coasters, just wind in your face and that's _awesome_ because I love going fast.

Oh, right, I haven't mentioned that yet. I'll say that again— I love going fast. In my past life, skiing was one of my favorite hobbies because I loved the feeling of the wind on my face. I hadn't planned on it, but now I really want to learn the Body Flicker Technique.

I'm grinning when ANBU-san comes to a halt on a rooftop, then hops down to the road.

I squeak, tightening my grip. That feeling of free-fall… let's just say my stomach still feels as if it's on top of the roof.

ANBU-san sets me down, dusting me off carefully. "Thanks, ANBU-san," I giggle. "That was fun!"

"You're welcome," ANBU-san responds, before taking my hand and leading me inside the building. It's… really busy. There's lot of shinobi rushing around, some with what seem like mugs of coffee or tea, and others with piles of paper. It's _so cool_.

ANBu-san steers me around the mess until we've reached a door. He knocks loudly.

A voice grumbles, "Who is it?"

"Hokage-sama. Ryōken with Kobayashi Makoto-san," ANBU-san responds.

I tilt my head. Wait… isn't that…

"Come in," the voice calls.

ANBU-san opens the door, and pushes me inside. When he goes to close the door, though, the voi— sorry, _Hokage-sama_ , calls, "Ah, Ryōken-san, stay."

ANBU-san… or Ryōken-san bows, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

I poke his leg. "ANBU-san? Is that your name? Ryoken? Isn't that… like, a type of inn or something?"

I suddenly freeze. Oh, wait… oops, I forgot my manners. I immediately spin around and bow to Hokage-sama. "Konnichiwa, Hokage-sama." I rub the back of my neck as I straighten up. "Sorry about that… I was just curious. Oh, and thanks for the monkey! It's really cute!"

Hokage-sama laughs. "Don't worry, Makoto-kun. The inn is actually a _ryokan_. A _ryōken_ is actually a type of dog. It's a hunting dog." He gets up, walking over. "All of the ANBU are named after animals."

So… like a hound? Ah. That makes sense… I guess.

Hokage-sama crouches down in front of me. "So… you know your parents… have… gotten into an accident."

My mood drops immediately. I nod. "Hai… I know they're in the Hospital, and that they'll be there for a long time, but…" I scowl at the ground. "How… how hurt _are_ they?" I ask, looking up.

Hokage-sama sighs. "They broke some bones and have some… really big cuts. Your Okaa-san and Otou-san will need to stay in the hospital for a while."

I took this to mean that there were lacerations and maybe even a compound fracture, and I sigh. "They'll… they'll be okay, though… right?"

Hokage-sama straightens up, smiling gently. "Of course. You don't have to worry, Makoto-kun."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I meant it. Thank you for not being like Kaa-san's friends, who still speak in that babyish voice when talking to me. "So… what should I do? You wanted me _here_ … but…"

"Normally, you would be taken care of by a family member, or a close friend, or… in your case, your _kyōfu_." Wait, what's that? "However… he's currently on a mission, and so he can't take care of you." He puffs on his pipe. "I, on the other hand, am right here, am more than capable of taking care of a child, and owe Kimiko-chan for doing the same for Asuma in the past." He smiles. "So, what do you think? Do you think you can tolerate being with Hiruzen-ojiisan for a day?"

"Hai!" I laugh, before calming myself and bowing again. "Arigatō… Hokage-sama."

"Just call me Ojii-san," he insists. "I've spent far too many missions babysitting Kimi-chan. I insist."

"Hai… Hokage-ojiisama," I decide. A question strikes me. Wait… "Kimi-chan? Who's that?"

"Ah." Hokage-sama rubs his chin. "Well, I guess I won't get anything better than that. And Kimiko is your Okaa-san's first name. But Kimi-chan sounds cuter, wouldn't you agree?"

Okay. Now I feel really awkward. I didn't even know my Okaa-san's first name! Wait… my eyes widen in horror. "Then… what's Otou-san's name?"

"Hiroya. Kobayashi Hiroya," he replies, hiding a smile.

I whimper, plopping down on the floor and curling up into a ball. Just… let me sink into the floor right now. If I don't see them, maybe they don't see me?

"Hokage-sama?" I ask, voice muffled. "Is there a jutsu to make someone disappear?"

"Yes. Yes there is."

"Can I learn it?" I whine.

"...Maybe later," he concedes. "For now, there's another individual around your age who I think you might like to meet. Why don't you get up?"

Still embarrassed, I obey, albeit hesitantly. Hokage-sama turns to ANB— _Ryōken_ -san. "Please escort Makoto-kun to… to the room. You may remove the cloak, while you're at it." He chuckles. "I know how much you despise that thing."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." And with that, the scary black cape-thingy is removed, and quickly stuffed into a scroll with a puff of smoke. Sorry, sealed.

I practically choke on my tongue. It's Kakashi!

I mean, ANBU-san's got that hair! And even the name fits!

...Well, here's hoping that this won't set a precedent for any future encounters with shinobi!

* * *

"Follow me. You can play in this room, here." Hokage-ojiisama opens a door, gesturing for me to walk in. "Feel free to use the chairs. I have some other toys left over from when Asuma was young in a box."

"Thanks," I chirp, walking in… only to freeze as my eyes land on a spiky mop of yellow hair.

"Makoto-kun?" Hokage-sama asks. "Is… something wrong?"

I blink. Somehow, I don't think saying 'Yeah. That's the main character of this series.' would go well… so I go with my other train of thought. "That hair is _yellow_."

Two blue eyes blink, and I hear a strangled cough from the direction of Hokage-sama.

I continue. "Did you fall into paint or something? Because I refuse to believe that hair that shade of yellow is natural." I tilt my head. "And I think you had an very neat accident with markers, too… though you should be careful. It's not good if you get them too close to your eyes."

Behind me, ANBU-san makes a sound a bit like a chicken.

I nod decisively. I've dug myself in this far, I may as well keep going. "It's either that or you're a weird Inuzuka who likes cats instead of dogs." I think. "Maybe one of your parents is an Inuzuka and the other is a Yamanaka? That _might_ explain the yellow hair…"

ANBU-san runs out the room, and I hear choked laughter from outside. When I look up at Hokage-sama, he's covering his eyes and shaking his head.

"Makoto-kun… I can assure you, Naruto-kun is not related to the Inuzuka or Yamanaka in any way that I know. His yellow hair is natural, as are the… markings… on his face."

After a deep breath, he removes his hand, though very noticeably does _not_ look at me… or Naruto. Instead, he turns around. "Naruto-kun, this is Makoto-kun. He will be… keeping you company for a while today, since his parents are in the Hospital. Play nicely!" With that, he leaves, shutting the door.

And just like that, we're alone in the room.

I turn to Naruto-san, but before I can make the first move, he interrupts.

"How old're you? When's your birthday? Why's your hair white? I know ANBU's hair's white, but he's probably old, like the Old Man. Your eyes're really pretty. They look like mine, but a bit darker! What's'at about a dog? I don't really like dogs, since they sometimes bite, but I _really_ don't like cats, 'cause their claws are _super_ sharp and hurt, like, a lot. I like ramen, though! Do you like ramen? Ooh, what's your favorite flavor? How many bowls can you eat? I like tonkotsu! I really don't like the bamboo shoots, but I really like meat! Oh, and I want to be the Hokage when I grow up, and an awesome ninja! What 'bout you?"

Bombarded by the questions, I take a moment to sort things out, then take a deep breath.

"I'm three. My birthday was in December. My hair is white because of something that happened before I was born. I'm pretty sure that ANBU-san isn't that old. Thank you. The Inuzuka are a shinobi clan whose members usually have dogs. They often have these red triangles on their faces." I take a deep breath. "I haven't had ramen yet, so I don't know my favorite flavor, or how many bowls I can eat. I don't really like _menma_ , bamboo sprouts, either, but I really like tea-stained eggs. I also like sweets, but only when they're not _too_ sweet. What I want to be when I grow up? I don't really know, yet."

Naruto somehow manages to follow all of this.

"Wow, you seem _super_ smart! You know lots of words grown-ups use!" He pauses, and a look of shock sinks over his face. "Wait, you've never had RAMEN?!"

I can practically hear the capital letters. I'm too stunned to do much more than nod. However, Naruto grabs my hand as he swings around and dashes for the door. Wow. He is _strong_ … or I'm just a bit weak and probably too light for my age.

"OldManOldManOldManOldMan… Makoto's never had RAMEN before! NEVER! We have to fix this!"

I shakily regain my feet and try to hold Naruto back. "Naruto…-san," I hiss, trying to drag him back to the playroom, "Hokage-sama is busy!"

Luckily, Hokage-sama isn't offended. He just laughs, waving off my concerns. Apparently, Naruto does this a lot.

"You have already had lunch at Ichiraku, Naruto-kun," Hokage-sama sighs. "And I think… have you eaten yet, Makoto-kun?"

I nod. "Aburame-sama made fried rice."

He smiles. "In that case… maybe some other time, Naruto-kun, okay?"

Naruto grumbles and looks to be on the verge of protesting, but Hokage-sama manages to appease him with an offer. "Now, instead, why don't I show you two around some of the places in Konoha that you probably haven't been to before? I daresay you haven't been to the Library yet, and if my shinobi are any good, you shouldn't have been allowed into the Academy or Mission Assignment, much less the Aviary."

I bit my cheek. "Aren't… aren't you busy, Hokage-sama? I wouldn't want to be a bother…"

"I think I have enough time to take a break. Besides…" he winks. "It would be a shame to spend such a nice day indoors."

* * *

The Library is awesome. It's just across the street from the Hokage Residence, and it's enormous. It's three stories tall, has a basement on top of that, and covers practically every topic, ninja or civilian. There are also tables where people can read, though not many people are in here now.

It looks like… like… like the coolest thing _ever_.

"This is _awesome_ ," I breathe out in awe, spinning around.

Naruto, however, does not quite share my awe.

"This is _boring_. When're we goin' to do something _fun_?"

"Patience, Naruto-kun," the Hokage replies, "Let Makoto-kun have his fun. We'll be going back to the Hokage Tower now, but I plan to show you some of the… harder to access areas. After all, you know where my office is, but the Tower also contains the Academy and Mission Assignment. You want to become Hokage, correct, Naruto-kun? If so, you had better know what being a shinobi means, first."

"Umm…. Hokage-sama?" I ask, tugging on his robe.

He turns to me. "Yes, Makoto-kun?"

"We can go to the Hokage Tower now, if Naruto-san wants… and you can just call me Makoto! But… how do you take books out of the Library?" A question strikes me. "And where did ANBU-san go?"

He smiles. "Thank you, Makoto. And I'm sure that Naruto-kun is very pleased to hear that. As for checking books out, well, civilians can get a card with a registration number which allows them to check out all civilian books. Academy students can get a pass with a registration number and seal that will let them into the shinobi section, though they can only check out basic books. As shinobi progress up the ranks, they are allowed to access more of the books. And as for Inu-san… well, he's taking the opportunity to read a book he's been waiting a long time for. Don't worry, I gave him permission, and he'll catch up us soon."

"Okay. And that's really cool! Do you think I can get a card now? But I also want to read stuff about being a shinobi… even though I actually can't _read_ anything now," I sigh. "Still… everyone says that being a shinobi is cool, but I don't know anything about it!"

I scowl, biting back the urge to complain more. Because seriously, information is _scarce_ in this world. For me, a kid who grew up in the digital age of internet, who's accustomed to being able to Google basically anything, a scarcity of information is _frustrating_.

Naruto frowns. "Why? Books are boring…"

Hokage-sama, on the other hand, thinks over my request. "Well… I understand your point, Makoto-kun. It _is_ true that you might find it difficult to find a shinobi with the time and ability to answer many of your questions… and it is not as if I don't trust Kimiko-chan... " He sighs. "Well, I suppose I do have the authority to sign off on such a card… so Makoto-kun, I see no problem. Think of it as another birthday present." He crouches down, setting a hand on my shoulder, "You will have to promise me, however, that you _do not lose this card_. In addition, you should not give other people the books you check out… or lose them. Indeed, if I give you this card, I would prefer it if you did not tell anyone about the card, or take books out of the Library."

He sounds _really_ serious. I nod. "Promise."

He straightens up, smiling. "Besides, as a teacher, I must encourage your eagerness to learn. And I feel you would find some of the material here much too advanced for your age, though it will provide an incentive to learn to read and write soon, right?"

I blink. "Uh… learn to read and write?" I ask, trying to mentally decipher everything he just said. I rub my face. "Yeah. I can already write my name in _hiragana_ … and I know _some_ hiragana…" I flush. Maybe I got a _bit_ ahead of myself. "I might need to ask Okaa-san for help… a _lot_ of help… and I probably won't be able to actually _do_ anything with the card for a long, _long_ time… but…" I bury my head in my hands. "It's fine if you don't actually give me a card now… I wasn't really thinking…"

Hokage-sama chuckles, patting my head. "Do not worry. Come, let us get your library card sorted out." I look up, eyes widening. He smiles. "An investment for the future is always a wise choice. Then, why don't we explore the Hokage Tower? I think you will want to see the Academy." The Hokage holds out his hand.

I smile and take it.

* * *

With my library card attached to a lanyard around my neck, I scamper alongside Hokage-sama and Naruto-san as they walk through the deserted hallways of the Academy.

It's so cool!

Naruto's amazed by the taijutsu and jutsu practice stations that he can see through the window, but I'm more awed by the enormous classrooms.

I'm currently sitting at one of the desks, which is just a _little_ too big for me. Even discounting my size, however, the desk is really big. There are all these drawers and places for storage, and I have a clear view of the blackboard at the front.

Naruto's at the window, looking outside, and the Hokage puffs calmly on his pipe beside him.

As I lean my head on my arms, I think of how peaceful the scene is. I like this, I realize.

And of course, the peaceful scene ends right there as we hear rapid footsteps outside, in the hall. The door slams open to a gasping… chūnin? Well, he's definitely a shinobi.

"Hokage-sama! New influx of paperwork! So many people have arrived at the mission desk that we've had to call in some of the chūnin on break. Mostly D-ranks, but it seems that bandits took advantage of the annual visit to various shrines by civilians to raid some towns, and the messengers with those C-ranks were delayed by the earlier snowfall, but they've arrived now, and there's at least one B-rank in the stack, too! I apologize for disturbing you on your day off, but we need you at your desk!"

The Hokage sighs as the messenger runs off again.

"I am sorry children, but it seems that I must resume the duties of a Hokage… maybe we could continue this some other time?"

I chirp up, "Can't Naruto-san and I watch you? Or play quietly in a separate room? I promise that we'll do our best to be quiet. Won't you, Naruto-san?"

I elbow him slightly, and he squirms away. "Right, Jii-chan!"

He sighs. "Well, I admit that it would be faster than walking you two back to my office. Just… stay out of the way of the shinobi, okay?"

* * *

Well, it turns out that receiving missions is very different from assigning missions.

The building is more like two building under the same roof. The Academy is on the first two floors, and the Hokage Tower/Mission Assignment are mostly above that, though it has a separate entrances by the street. Mission request desks are on the the first floor, and everything else is above that.

Still, the architecture isn't what catches my attention first… it's the desk. Or more specifically, the mountain of paper on top of it and around it.

I'm not even exaggerating as much as I could be. There's foot-tall stacks of paper on the table, and stacks of various heights all around it.

I'm not sure if that's "paperwork," but I'm still very intimidated. Even if Hokage-sama only has to just read through everything… well… there's a reason why I had never wanted to be a lawyer, even if I probably could have. No offence to lawyers, but reading through pages, and pages, and pages of legalese?

Don't get me wrong, I love books. And learning. But even I balk at that much paper.

…and they don't even have computers…

…so everything has to be handwritten...

… … poor, poor Hokage-sama.

* * *

Luckily, Naruto and I don't have to worry about the paper, or be anywhere near it, for that matter. We're playing by this little coffee-table-like-thingy in front of the desk. It's got these really comfortable green armchairs off to the side, and Hokage-sama sent a chūnin to go get some paper and crayons.

He drops them off with a guarded body language. When I thank him, he smiles slightly, but where Naruto does the same, albeit a lot louder, he turns hostile and stops smiling. He isn't mean, per say, but he is a lot less friendly.

For a moment, I'm confused. Then I remember the rather big issue of Naruto being the jinchuriki of the Kyūbi.

… uh… I kinda sorta forgot?

Naruto's entire demeanor changes, and I'm actually rather shocked.

He… I'm not sure how to describe this… but… he kinda… shrinks in on himself. Earlier, he'd seemed so bright, so energetic, so… so _big_. Now is one of the first times that I recognize how he's just a little kid.

And my mood kinda takes a turn downwards as reality kicks in.

"Are… are you okay, Naruto-san?" I tentatively ask.

He pastes on a smile that I'm certain is fake. "What do you mean, dattebayo? I'm awesome!"

He accompanies that with a burst of hollow laughter that almost sounds like crying and a grin that closes his eyes.

"Don't lie," I hiss.

"What? I'm not lying! What do you mean?" he forces out between clenched teeth.

I take a deep breath… and hug him.

It's awkward and I'm pretty sure I'm being too forward, but then again, I've always assaulted my friends with hugs. And this is usually my default reaction with my little brothers when they were sad. (Usually though, I'm not smaller than them.)

Naruto just sits, stiff as a board, before he slumps slightly and starts crying. Well, maybe not crying, but sobbing. He's kinda shaking, but he's not making a sound beyond these small gasping noises.

I can feel my shirt getting slightly wet, but I just continue patting Naruto on the back. After a few seconds, I pull away slightly. "Are… are you feeling better?" I ask.

He nods, pulling away and scrubbing at his face. I return to my seat.

He looks ups with a snotty nose (ew) and puffy red eyes, but I'm more focused on his question. "Why… why are you doing this?" he asks in a small voice. "Most people don't even notice."

I look away, grimacing. Dammit. I _hate_ having to verbalize stuff like this, and no one ever actually understands my explanations, but… "I'm not good with… emotions. But… I don't like seeing people so… so obviously sad."

"Wow, you're really nice!" Naruto beams.

I don't look at him. 'I'm really not,' I think.

* * *

That is what finally breaks the ice between Naruto and me, and we finally start actually talking.

Before, it was kind of a mix between an interview and reading things off a list. Now? I learn a lot about Naruto, the person.

Maybe it's because I'm also three, but I can actually understand the entirety of his babbling. For my little brothers in my past life, well… my success rate was only about 70%.

Naruto loves orange. That's not too different. He likes Ichiraku ramen. He already wants to be Hokage.

As for me? My answers were blue, not sure, and… uh… to be a shinobi? Technically, I want to live. But I don't just want to survive. But how to explain that difference without arousing suspicions… or just explain it to Naruto, period… ? So here's what I say: "I think I might want to be a shinobi. But I'm not sure yet."

"You should! The Old Man's a shinobi, and he's awesome!"

"Well… I don't know enough about being a shinobi, yet. That's why I asked Hokage-sama for the library card."

"Oh. Do you like pranks?" Naruto accompanies this with a really serious expression, and I'm a little scared about how I should answer.

I choose the most diplomatic answer that is also the truth. "Well, I've never tried, but I want to."

Naruto gasps. "That's horrible. Don't worry, I'll teach you!"

And those words mark the start of a rather confusing lecture on all of the different animals one can find in Konoha and then stuff into someone's shoes/bed/food.

I'm honestly not sure what happened, but I remember that I was so happy, and Naruto's chakra felt the same. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much and my sides were cramping from just how much laughing I'd done. I'm not sure how… or even _if_ Hokage-sama managed to concentrate well on his paperwork, but soon, I don't really care.

* * *

I wake up to a hand shaking me gently. I blink. The light's a bit dimmer and more orangey than I remember, and Naruto's a lump on the other couch, drooling onto a pillow.

ANBU-san is the one who woke me up.

I yawn, covering my mouth. "Wha…"

"It has just past 0500… uh… 5:00 in the afternoon. It's time for Naruto to go home, and I believe… well, the sun is starting to set. It will be dark within the hour, and you should be home before then."

I nod, stretching, before making sure I have everything. I pat down the pillows so they look a bit more like how they were before we arrived, and straighten out the mess of papers. I look at ANBU-san, but he just shrugs from where he stands, carrying a sleeping Naruto.

"I'll take the pictures," I decide. "If Naruto wants them, just…" I shrug. "...but, can I say goodbye to Hokage-sama?"

ANBU-san nods and I run over to the desk, where Hokage-sama looks out the window.

I tug on his robe.

"Ah, Makoto-kun, you're awake," he remarks.

I nod. "Hai! Thanks for letting me stay here today, Hokage-s… Hokage-ojiisama!" I chirp, bowing.

"You're welcome, Makoto-kun." Hokage-sama smiles. "Have a safe journey. Starting tomorrow, there will be a genin team checking in for their D-rank mission to take care of you for the next week." He puffs on his pipe. "Their jōnin instructor requested a series of babysitting or grocery shopping missions as part of the recovery from a C-ranked bandit extermination mission."

He smiles mysteriously. "I think you will enjoy meeting Team 2."

I smile and nod, waving goodbye, but a question stays on my head out the door and down the hall and down through the building. ...Why was Hokage-sama smiling. And… why am I so unsettled by that smile?

No, I'm imagining things. I have to be imagining things.

...probably imagining things.

...hopefully?

* * *

ANBU-sama walks me home. It's… peaceful. Konohagakure is really pretty in the sunset.

It's only when ANBU-san agrees that I realize I said that aloud.

Oh! "I think you can go drop off Naruto-kun now," I decide. "My house is just around that corner."

"...In that case, I'll see you tomorrow, Makoto-kun," ANBU-san responds, jumping away.

...Huh. I blink. That was… abrupt.

I shrug it off as I head back, waving to some of the people I recognize when they pass me by. There's the old lady who comes in every Tuesday just before lunch… there's that one guy with the really boring taste in tea… there's the grandfather with the seven grandkids who always buys extra sweets and takes the table by the window for an hour on Fridays…

I turn the corner happily, walk up to the front door… and get hit by _noise_ the moment I open the door.

My eyes widen in horror and I rush in, not bothering to take off my shoes. What greets me… I stand, stunned.

What?

How?

When? _Why?_

… I shouldn't have left.

Even shinobi should not be capable of causing this much trouble. Especially in just… what, five hours? And I think trouble is an understatement. I whimper.

Why? Well, according to the report turned in to Hokage-sama, Hizashi made twenty-four children cry when he was too strict. And you know how parents are like when someone makes their kids cry… so there's an additional forty-one people who are also ticked off. At least.

Anko… forcibly retrieved her dango… on multiple occasions… which led to the rather… visible expressions of sadness… of another eight or so children.

Oh, yes, I'd also forgotten to mention that they smashed a majority of our ceramics, broke several sliding doors, left scorch marks on the tatami mats in one room, tipped over several of the ikebana displays, and dented many of the shelves. I think I've already forgotten my recent scare. This… is a lot more worrying.

Admittedly, most of the structural damage came from one Maito Gai-san, or so Kakashi-san says… but he wouldn't even have been there if it weren't for Kakashi-san's _bunshin_ … who'd only come because Hokage-sama wanted him to tell Anko-san to stop causing complaints and Hizashi-san to, in Hokage-sama's words, "BLEEEEEEEP and stop making little kids cry, or I will make you in charge of handling all of the paperwork from your inability to reign Anko in!" Yeah… Hokage-sama must have been really annoyed. And I discovered that it's pretty easy to tell when someone's cursing. There's this universal… inflection… that they use.

Anyways, I've got bigger problems. Like the shop. And the shinobi who are still in it!

Anko-san's arguing with Hizashi-san who's yelling at Maito-san, who's still trying to challenge Kakashi-san… well, Kakashi-san's not-illusionary bunshin... to a challenge. At least, I think that's Kakashi-san. Because I thought Kakashi-san was ANBU-san and ANBU-san should still be with Naruto and…

I take a shuddering breath. _Breathe_ , I think. Don't panic. Don't panic. It'll be fine. It'll be fine.

My words don't work. I can barely hear myself think over the cacophony. "Please, be quiet!" I try. Nope. No use. I can't even hear myself.

I try a louder, if considerably ruder, approach. "Please, SHUT UP!" I scream, eyes starting to gloss over.

I blink furiously. I'm scared, panicking, _way_ out of my depth, on the verge of bursting out in tears, and… no one's listening. I take a hiccuping breath, and pat my pockets down to see if there's anything I can use.

Inside my front pocket, I find something hard. I grab the whistle that Tou-san insisted that I wear at all times and told me to only use in emergencies. You know what, I think this is an emergency. My parents are hospitalized, I need to make a group of very loud, very strong, arguably scary shinobi just _listen_ to me. I cover my ears. Taking a deep breath, I blow as hard as I can.

...little did I know, that was a rape whistle. To be honest, I only found out that the whistle was a "rape whistle" many hours later. I mean, that's my interpretation. My limited vocabulary in this language doesn't really cover that word, but "a whistle you should only blow when people touch you in your private areas or act _super_ creepy" only really has one definition.

And it's not like I had a whistle like that _before_. Hey, I wasn't kidding when I said that my past life was a rather privileged one. Not to mention innocent and naive.

Though I guess those adjectives still apply…

Now, I'm not sure what people know about rape whistles, but the basic premise is that it's a lot louder and… well, _scarier_ than normal whistles and can scare civilians. But with a resounding _PEEEEEEEEP_ from the whistle, Kakashi-san's widening eyes, and the puff of smoke of a dispelling bunshin, chaos ensues.

…It's rather unfortunate that the house/shop is located within a civilian neighborhood.

And even more unfortunate that most women, not to mention their husbands, are rather good at recognizing the sound. Why? … I'm not sure yet, and I don't think I want to know.

The worst part? I was crying, and still puffing a bit on the whistle, but the shinobi had heard and were trying to "comfort" me. And the even worse part? Let's just say that Gai does everything very enthusiastically… and thinks that hugs can solve any problem. And it's _Gai_ — the weirdo in a seemingly-spandex leotard. (Though, it's not spandex. It's too thick to be that, and not nearly shiny enough.)

And so, an already bad situation got really, _really_ bad.

Let's just say that the incoming flood of worried civilians got the entirely wrong idea.

… and I was _still_ crying. An entire street of people saw me puffy-eyed and snotty-nosed and bawling my eyes out. That's embarrassing like you wouldn't believe.

* * *

Well, I certainly had not expected to be introduced to so many Uchiha so soon.

Here's the basic gist of my headache:

Civilians storm the shop. Next, they misunderstand the situation. Then, they decide to get the Military Police to deal with the problem. Finally, cowed by the righteous fury of many pissed-off females and several whipped husbands, they just decide to bring everyone in.

Now? Well, it turns out that Uchiha Fugaku-san is very nice, even if he doesn't look it, and is surprisingly good at comforting small children.

…or maybe that's just me. But he gave me a pillow and a pack of tissues and let me hiccup my way through my emotional baggage and patted my back and offered some good advice.

...yeah, he's probably only good at comforting emotionally-distraught, arguably prodigious children who have a significant mental maturity. Though, considering his family… that actually makes sense.

It's after my tears dry up when I finally realize how much time has passed. I wince. I've spent a good half-hour or so, at least, just bawling my eyes out. The sun's already past the horizon, and the sky is dark over the Hokage monument.

I'm blowing my nose when a knock sounds on the door and a voice asks, "Otou-san? Okaa-san sent me to get you. Dinner's getting cold."

Uchiha-sama sighs, and I duck my head. "Come in, Itachi. I'm just… just finishing up." He pats my head. "Here… why don't you go with Itachi and… wash your face?"

" _Shi-shitsureishimashita_ ," I hiccup. I was rude. "I'm sorry for… for… for taking up so… _hic_ much of your time, Uchiha-chama… Uchiha- _sama_!" I immediately correct, before ducking my head again. A hand pats me on the head, and I look up through wisps of hair.

"You'll be fine. Don't worry." Uchiha-sama says softly.

"A-arigatō," I hiccup, waving slightly as he walks out the door.

A hand appears in front of me with a tissue.

"Here," Itachi smiles. "If you tell me what is wrong, I might be able to help."

I blow my nose, shaking my head. "Uchiha-sama already helped…" I suddenly realize that my response might come across as rude, and I add, "but it would be really nice if you could show me where the bathroom is, later?" Quickly changing the subject, I ask, "You're… you came to the tea shop during that storm a little while ago, right?"

"Hai." Itachi nods. "Thank you for your… hospitality then. Did you get the umbrella back?"

"Mm… I think so." I flush. "I don't remember _when_ , but…"

"That's good to hear," Itachi smiles.

I grasp wildly for another train of thought. "Oh, I don't know if I introduced myself…" I wince, before smiling. "I'm Kobayashi Makoto. Please just call me Makoto. It's nice to meet you again, Uchiha-sa… ah… do you mind if I call you Itachi-san?" I rub my neck. "There's… a lot… of Uchiha here."

Itachi-san nods. "Of course. I don't mind."

An awkward silence ensues, and Itachi-san coughs lightly. "So… if I may ask… what happened?"

I bury my head in my hands with a whine. "It's… a bit… of a long story." I fold my hands in my lap, still looking down. "But… in short… well… Otou-san had given me this whistle, and I didn't… realize… ah…"

I pull out the whistle to show him.

Itachi-san nods slowly. "Ah. I think I understand. But… if I may… what made you use it?"

I flush. "There were a bunch of shinobi in the shop… they were arguing and making a mess and everything was broken and they were loud and…" I take a deep breath. "It was a long day. I needed to get them to _stop_ , but…" I gesture blankly at myself. "I'm… well… they didn't hear me when I tried, so…"

"Oh." Itachi-san blinks. "But in that case… where were your parents?" He pauses. "Actually… where—"

"They're in the Hospital," I mumble. "There was an accident… and…" Realizing what that might infer, I quickly backtrack. "Oh, they'll get better soon! It's… just…" I shrug.

Itachi-san frowns slightly. "But then…"

"Oh, it's not like I'll be home _alone_ ," I laugh awkwardly. "There's a genin team that's supposed to be taking care of me for… for the next week, I think."

Itachi-san blinks. "...the next week?"

"Yeah!" I grin sheepishly. "I think they only got their mission a little while ago… but they had a C-rank recently or something, so their jōnin-sensei wanted something a bit… ah… easier?"

"Hn." Itachi-san nods, before pausing. "Do you know which team?"

I frown, trying to remember. "I think… Hokage-sama said… Team… 2?"

Itachi-san smiles. "Ah. I know them. I think you will be in good hands for the next week."

My eyes widen. "You do? Are they nice? Who are…" I flush as a loud grumble sounds. "Uh… sorry."

Itachi-san frowns again. "Makoto-san? Have… When did you last eat?"

I squirm in my seat, but Itachi doesn't let me duck the subject. "...lunch," I finally admit. "But really, it's fine! don't think there's any damage above the shop, and I should have leftovers in the fridge."

Itachi-san continues frowning. "You should come over to my house for dinner. Okaa-san's a really good cook, and I'm sure she would be happy to have a guest."

I wince. "I wouldn't want to be a bother…"

But Itachi-san presses on. "The sun has already set. It is dark outside. I would not feel… comfortable letting you walk home alone. Besides…" He pauses. "How old are you, Makoto-san?"

"Uh…" I blink. "I just turned three?"

Itachi-san stares at me for a moment. "...In that case, I absolutely must insist." Seeing my reluctance, he sighs. "It would be unfortunate if my client injured himself, especially when I could have prevented it."

My eyes widen. "You're on Team 2?!"

Itachi-san nods. "It appears that my mission will start earlier than anticipated."

I look down. "Won't your parents mind?"

He shakes his head. "I doubt it. Besides, Otou-san would be more disappointed if I failed such a simple mission."

I sigh. "I suppose… I can't convince you otherwise?"

Itachi-san nods firmly.

"...fine," I grumble. "For someone as mild-mannered and quiet as you seem, you can be _very_ stubborn, you know that?"

Itachi-san smiles faintly.

I slump. "At least… ask your father first?"

* * *

At the break of day,

As though the light of the lingering moon

Lightened the dim scene,

The village of Yoshino lay

In a haze of falling snow.

— Sakanoue no Korenori

* * *

朝ぼらけ  
有明の月と  
みるまでに  
吉野の里に  
ふれる白雪

— 坂上是則

* * *

_Asaborake_

_Ariake no tsuki to_

_Miru made ni_

_Yoshino no sato ni_

_Fureru shirayuki_

_— Sakanoue no Korenori_

* * *

**Author's Note: Yay! I've fixed this chapter, too! Sorry it's a few days late... I'm trying to upload every Friday evening, but... sometimes stuff like this happens.**

**So yeah, as you can tell… I took some liberties with the poem, though mainly just in what if referred to.**

**Moving on!** **If there is anyone who is familiar with the Japanese language and/or culture… I would very much appreciate any corrections and/or advice. By the way, I… have no idea how to write vernacular. I did my best with Naruto to convey the impression that he's not exactly in the best of circumstances, but… ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! \ (^_^) /**

**I welcome any and all reviews, even if they're just "hi." Or random nonsense. It means a lot to me that you're reading my story. As a side note, however, if you want a response, please make sure I can PM (Private Message) you by making an account. I have a lot planned out, but I don't want to spoil the plot for those who don't want spoilers. (;-_-)**

**In addition, if anyone has ideas for Konoha genin, Konoha chūnin, or honestly, shinobi or civilians from any place in the elemental nations, I gladly welcome them. I might change them a little to fit in best, but I really appreciate names and physical descriptions. This story will do a fair bit of world-building, and while Kishimoto has many good characters, the fact is that the elemental nations are** _ **very**_ **big. Here's an example template:**

 **Name:** (Note: Please make sure this is a Japanese name.)

**Physical Description:**

**\- Age:** (I need people anywhere from 0-30. Maybe even forty. But mainly adults from 20-30. Though, children ages 5-13 would be useful, as well as genin ages 10-15.)

 **\- Hair Color:** (literally anything is possible for this, but black/brown is the most common and useful)

 **\- Eye Color:** Brown/Blue/Green/Other

 **\- Skin Tone:** What + why (eg. tanned- spends a lot of time in the sun)

 **Occupation:** Genin/Chunin/Jonin/ANBU/Civilian

 **Loyalty:** Konoha/Kumo/Kiri/Suna/Iwa/Other

**Abilities:**

**\- Specialization:** Taijutsu/Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Kenjutsu/Fuinjutsu/Etc.

 **\- Chakra Nature:** Fire/Wind/Water/Earth/Lightning (please choose one or two, maximum)

 **\- Weapons:** Kunai/Shuriken/Wire/Senbon/Sword/Other

* * *

**COMING NEXT: So, Makoto meets Team 2! And has absolutely zero parental supervision for an entire week!**

**Gee... I wonder what could happen?**


	3. D-ranks and New Friends

_It is because of you_

_That I walk the fields in spring,_

_Gathering green herbs,_

_While my hanging sleeves_

_Are speckled with falling snow._

* * *

I wake up in a different room than I'm used to. The ceiling… it's not that blueish-purple I'm used to. I sit up slowly, confused, looking around.

Perhaps most disorienting, my point of view is significantly higher than I'm used to.

I blink.

Ah. I'm currently in a raised bed, like the ones _Before_.

The weirdest part is that it's somehow both really similar and yet, _really_ different. It's… probably most like… if you moved away from a place for three years, then came back… and realized that it's still the same… but not.

"Ohayō, Makoto-kun," a soft voice calls. I cover a yawn with my hand, turning to face the door.

"Ah… good morning… Uchiha-sa— _Mikoto-sama_ ," I correct.

Mikoto-sama sighs, and I remember. "Oh, sorry! Mikoto-obasam— _Mikoto-obasan_ ," I enunciate.

She smiles. "Breakfast is ready. Would you mind waking up Sasuke?"

I nod. "Hai, Mikoto-obasan!"

* * *

Several minutes later, after I've shaken the lump on the blankets next to me awake, I drag a half-asleep Sasuke along the open-air-hallway-thing to the kitchen. Itachi-san's house… or rather, I guess, _Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-obasan's_ house, is a very traditional single-storied home with all of that architectural stuff that I don't know the name to.

Half-way through, as I'm debating where to turn right or left at the cabinet with the surprisingly ugly blue vase, Sasuke-kun wakes up enough to grumpily drag me over to the kitchen, before he drops onto a _zabuton_ pillow and slumps forward onto the _chabudai_ , the low table.

"Did you sleep well, Makoto-san?" Itachi-san asks.

"Didn't I tell you to just call me Makoto?" I frown. 'It's weird, especially since you're doing so much for me."

"You are the client. It would be disrespectful," Itachi responds, before frowning slightly. "And I had asked that you call me Itachi."

"According to the mission guidelines, I believe that you're essentially my caretaker. It's only polite to address you as Itachi-san," I shoot back, still half-asleep and grumpy.

"I am only a genin," Itachi reponds, probably feigning modesty.

I stare back, dead-pan. "That makes you an adult."

"I am but eight years old." And eight-year-olds shouldn't have to say that.

I shrug. "So?"

"As an eight-year-old at home, I insist you call me Itachi, Makoto- _san_ ," Itachi replies.

"Itachi- _san_ , I am three years old," I sigh. "You don't call your _otōto_ Sasuke-san."

"But you're a client," Itachi responds, unperturbed, sipping slowly on his tea.

I let my head rest on the table, wishing I were still asleep. A raised bed feels different from a _fūton_ , and I wish I could have enjoyed it for longer. "I highly doubt you give other three-year-olds those suffixes."

"And you are a guest," Itachi replies, sipping at his tea and resembling nothing so much as a little old man.

I raise my head to stare bleary-eyed at Itachi. "Which is why I should give _you_ respect. Besides, you're the heir to one of the five noble clans of Konohagakure."

"It is improper to stand on formality."

"It's _respectful_ to use formality," I grumble.

"It is antiquated." Itachi's face softens in a barely-there smile that might be a trick of the light… or him tasting victory. "And as a friend would say, stuffy."

I grin. "Ooh, big words! See? You are basically an adult, and so I should treat you as one." I beam.

Itachi stares at me. "...you have a friend who is heir to the Aburame clan. You address him without any suffix." Okay, now Itachi's just being stubborn. Still…

"...Point to you." I scrunch my nose. "Very well, then." I sigh dramatically. "Itachi-san, I will call you Itachi… if you call me Makoto."

After a pause…

"...very well." Itachi pushes over a steaming teacup. "Makoto."

I graciously accept the gesture of goodwill for what it is. "Itachi."

"Are you done, now?" Mikoto-san asks, brow arched.

I nearly spit out my tea. Across from me, Itachi seems suspiciously stiff.

I turn my head to look at Mikoto-sama, an embarrassed smile on my face. "H-hai?"

Mikoto-sama addresses Itachi instead. "You will be late to meet your team if you keep arguing with Makoto-kun, Itachi." She turns to me. "Oh, and Makoto-kun? Please come by again for dinner, okay?"

I bite my lip.

Mikoto-sama _smiles_ , and a chill runs down my spine. "Okay, _Makoto-kun?_ "

I blanche, nodding hesitantly. "H-hai?"

Across the table, Fugaku-sama clears his throat, leaning forward as if to protest and I shrink, curling up a bit… and Mikoto-sama smiles. "You don't have any _objections_ … right, _a_ _nata_?"

I blink at the use of the term of endearment… and in shock, as Fugaku-sama immediately sits back. "Of course not."

Trying to ignore the awkward silence and that _terrifyingly_ nice smile, I quickly down the cooled-down miso soup, chomping down on the plate of _onigiri_ , rice balls, and _tamagoyaki_ , egg omelet, that Mikoto-sama had set in front of me at one point in the earlier… discussion. When those are cleared, I quickly dash back to the room to change into my clothes from yesterday, then grab Itachi on my way out.

"Thanks for everything, Mikoto-obasama, Fugaku-sama!" I call, slipping on my shoes. "See you again later, Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

The journey from the Uchiha compound to the shop is longer than I remembered, and it looks different in the sunlight. What had been dark and slightly ominous now looks… a bit drab, almost.

The road for most of the way is hard-packed dust and earth that disappears into weeds and underbrush on its sides. At first, it's narrow, but eventually widens out, and the trees to each side disappear. The cliff is to our right, and… the dense buildings that in the night had been brightly lit with pretty red lanterns now also looks a bit old and run-down. We're at the outskirts of Konoha, and I see buildings just up ahead… but to our right, between the road the mountain and spilling over from the busier parts of the village…

Itachi had told me not to go there yesterday when I asked. But now… "Are you sure it's dangerous there?" I ask. "It doesn't _look_ that dangerous… and it not like there's bandits or rouge-nin here."

Itachi hesitates. "It's… not dangerous for those reasons. But regardless, it isn't a place young children should go… it's really only a place for adults."

I frown, but let the subject go. "So, what's your genin team like?"

* * *

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!"

Oh. I see now what Itachi meant. The squeal came from the girl, who's being restrained by the jōnin-sensei. She wears her _hitai-ate_ like a bandanna and has brownish-greyish hair in two braided pigtails, which stick out, so she looks a little like Pippi Longstocking. She's Inari Shinko.

There's a boy, a little taller than her, with gray hair that's spiked to his right side and bangs, which frame his face, covering the sides of the hitai-ate on his forehead. That's Izumo Tenma.

The jōnin has spiky brown hair pulled into a short ponytail and a goatee. His uniform is plain, just a flak jacket over a blue turtleneck and pants, all Konohagakure regulation for shinobi. His name is Minazuki Yūki.

"Please, everyone, follow me." I open the door and move to one side, nervously shifting from foot to foot.

… I _really_ hope nothing goes wrong.

* * *

The silence that ensues is extremely awkward.

After what seems like an eternity of small shifts and the too-loud crunch of senbei, I decide to break it.

"Good morning, shinobi-san. Thank you so much for coming, I hope you will look after me!" I smile. "My name is Kobayashi Makoto. Please, just call me Makoto."

The girl with the pigtails pipes up first, "Oh, you're adorable! I'm Inari Shinko!"

"It's nice to meet you, Inari-san. Would you prefer for me to call you Inari-san, or…" my voice trails off.

She beams. "Oh, just call me Shinko!"

She nudges the gray-haired one.

"Fine, Shinko!" He turns to me. "I'm Izumo Tenma. Don't call me Tenma" He looks around. "So… where's your parents, shortie?"

I grimace at the nickname… and at the thought of having to delve back into yesterday's mess.

Itachi-san saves me. "Makoto-san, do you have any questions regarding the mission?"

"Oh. Uh… yeah. What… exactly… are we supposed to do?" I ask awkwardly.

No one answers. An even more awkward silence ensues.

"Do… you want to go to the park or something?" Jōnin-san asks. "When do you normally… uh… nap?"

I stare at him blankly, then sigh. Looks like I'll have to do this myself. "First… I don't know how to cook. And… we're kinda out of groceries." I tug at my shirt anxiously. "I'll need help with that. We normally eat lunch at 12:00… and dinner at 7:00, but I don't know how long your mission is supposed to last. if possible, I would like to learn more about what shinobi do, what the Academy is like, and so on… and I would also like to…" I bite my lip. "Idon'tknowhowtoreadbutIwantto," I rush out, not looking at Itachi.

The gray haired kid bursts out laughing, and I duck my head, blinking furiously.

Shinko-san immediately tries to ambush me with a hug, cooing over how cute I am and how of _course_ they can help such a cute wittle kid, and… I bite my cheek in an effort not to snap at the babish tones she uses and duck her attempts to squish my cheeks.

In my efforts, I overbalance, and my chair tips sideways… and a hand latches around my wrist, yanking.

I stumble on my feet, almost crashing into Itachi, as Shinko-san tumbles to the ground— thankfully without squashing me.

She immediately pops up, growling at the gray-hai— ah… at _Izumo-san_ , who shouts right back. I flinch at the noise, and shuffle to inch behind Itachi as the jōnin tries to mediate their argument.

Itachi gently tugs me over to the stairs, grabbing my jacket from the hanger. "If you want, Makoto, I can go get groceries now. My teammates… will probably be… _talking_ … for… a while," he ends. He grimaces. "I apologize for my teammates. Normally, Shinko-san works best with children on the babysitting D-ranks we take… however…"

"It's fine," I interrupt, grinning. "It's not really her fault… and honestly, it's kinda fun to watch from a distance. Besides, as long as they don't break anything— and I trust Jōnin-san to be capable enough of making sure of that— it's really fine. Just… let me grab some things."

I scramble around the argument, grabbing a tote bag from the cupboard and the grocery money from where Otou-san keeps it in the box in the drawer.

"Okay!" I smile. "I'm ready when you are!"

* * *

As we go outside, Itachi explains a bit about the layout of Konoha at my prodding, and adds in a bit of the history, too. The shop is located a street away from the Main Street, which stretches all the way from the main gates of Konohagakure to the Hokage Tower, from where it separates into two separate streets in what, to me, looks like a T-junction.

Konohagakure is located in a bit of a valley, with how it's surrounded by hills and cliffs. There's a river, the Naka river, that forks a ways behind the Hokage Monument into two separate streams that border Konohagakure. The older districts in Konoha are to the left of the Hokage faces, and they're mainly residential areas and training grounds for the smaller clans, and non-clan shinobi. The larger clans got more space along the river, because they served a bit as the first line of defense at first. Now, Konoha's expanded, so that's no longer the case, but even the grounds on the other side of the river are mostly empty training grounds.

On the other side of the Main Street, to the right of the Hokage faces… well, that's mainly for the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka. It's also an area that's mostly full of civilian businesses, but also less dense. A lot of the clans along the border are those that need space— the Nara clan, for example, has a forest for their deer, the Inuzuka have a smaller tract of land, and so on. Farther away from Konohagakure, on both sides of the Main Street, there's also farmland on both sides, though people tend to stay close to the street.

However, Konoha imports most of its staples, though the food doesn't travel very far— maybe a day, a week at maximum, even for civilians. There are, apparently, quite a few D-ranks dedicated to just that— importing food.

Our shop, Kobayashi Tea, is apparently located in one of the higher-end districts, being relatively close to the Hokage faces and close to the center of the Akimichi area, but also not too close the cliffs and hills.

The branch of the Main Street that splits to the right heads all the way to the Uchiha district, and as Itachi already told me earlier, I'm not supposed to go into the area on the cliff side of the road, even if it seems interesting.

Apart from that… the shops that cater to shinobi tend to be close to the Hokage tower and a lot are to the left of the Main Street, with the weapons and armor and supply shops being the closest. The fabric and textiles, especially those for civilians, tend to be a bit further out, and more in the civilian districts, though there are a few to the left of the Main Street.

Though, apparently the Main Street is actually pretty interesting. Because of how wide it is, sometimes the smaller shops set up a stall along it on special events.

The interesting thing to note is that there aren't actually any grocery stores. Farmers come in to bring food during the day and there's a few streets deliberately for the stalls they set up. Most shops have an arrangement to import food with… people…

…

I mean, I guess it makes sense, since it's a military dictatorship, but… it's a bit weird for what I'm used to.

But the producer/consumer system isn't the only source of cultural shock. Oh, no. _That_ came when _counting_ groceries.

Because… for all the universality of math in our world, there's a very simple thing that very few people (or, at least, that I), had considered— we learn so much about how the Chinese and Japanese and blah blah blah had made such _important_ advances in the field of mathematics/geometry/astrology… but everything we learn about math is with Arabic numerals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0. We count with Arabic numerals… we do everything with Arabic numerals (unless you count those who learn arithmetic with cookies and that weird dot/line/box system). Even in eastern countries… math is math. Everywhere.

Except for, apparently, a possibly-imaginary separate dimension where colorful ninja defy gravity using a magic-like thing called chakra.

A.k.a., the Elemental Nations.

Of which I can currently a resident of.

FML.

* * *

As Itachi stacks the cartons of eggs and milk, careful not to bruise the vegetables, even as he passes me the box of fish, I stay silent, lost in my thoughts.

Apart from learning an entirely new language and at least three different writing systems… I have to learn a new _number_ system, too?

I metaphorically whack myself over the head. Repeatedly.

Duh! It's even in the name. It's the _Arabic_ numeral system… even though I think it started in India or something? But looking back, it didn't _start_ that way either, right? Of course it's not going to exist here.

It's just… mathematics used to be so… so _universal_ that… I just… simply hadn't…

I groan. This is going to be a pain. New language? Check! New writing systems? Double, even _triple_ check. New way of doing math? Ngh… do I have to?

A thought strikes me, and my eyes widen.

What if I… forget?

The word echoes in my brain. Forget. There's no internet here. Forget. That would be… permanent. There's nothing to remind me. If I forget how to spell a word, how to do anything… it's gone. Poof. Disappeared. I'm alone, here.

I'm alone.

It sinks in now, more than ever, that I am very far away from home, and… I don't want to lose who I was. I didn't really like that life, or who I was, but… it was _me_. I don't what to forget that, to lose that.

My stomach twists, and I almost want to throw up… or cry. Just curl up in a ball, right there on the street, and bawl my eyes out. I feel like there's something stuck in my throat, and my breath hitches. Suddenly, I feel cold, despite the sun on my back and head. I cling on tighter to my handful of cloth, even as my free hand digs crescents into my palm.

"Makoto?" Itachi asks, and I flinch slightly. "Are you… are you okay?"

As if rudely awoken from a daze, I suddenly register what I've been doing. I'm in the middle of busy street. I wasn't moving. My hand is still wrapped in the hem of Itachi's jacket. I'm on the verge of hyperventilating. My shoulders shake slightly.

"I… I'm fine," I manage to force out. "Just… can we get some notebooks? Please? And… and stuff to write with."

"Of course," Itachi reponds. "But… if I may ask… are you sure that you're… feeling okay?"

I nod shakily. "Y-yeah. Don't worry. I'm… I'll be fine."

* * *

I take a deep breath, relishing in the quiet of the Library's bathroom… and a small comfort of familiarity at the fact that at least public restrooms are the same… or really, to be honest, they're better. It's cleaner, better-ventilated, doesn't smell that bad… but then again, maybe shinobi just tend to be more polite than the people I remember from _Before_.

Yeah, they're a bit different, but… they're similar enough. And Konoha's even nice enough to have a smaller one for younger kids!

I rub at my face from where I'm perched on the toilet seat, and I stare at the cloth bag hanging from the hook.

I bought five notebooks, two of which are small enough to be tucked into my shirt, along with a few scrolls (and oh, wasn't _that_ another headache-and-a-half, learning that loose-leaf paper isn't really a thing in this world), along with some pencils, erasers, pens, and a simply cloth pencil bag.

Is this what cultural shock feels like? So much is similar… and yet _not_. The pencils aren't the yellow #2 pencils with the pink eraser on the back that I expected. If anything, they're more like art pencils… except that they're not painted. The pens aren't what I'm used to, either— for whatever reason, it's ridiculously hard to find anything made of plastic. The only things I recognize are bottled drinks.

The pens are completely metal, from what I can tell. There _are_ ballpoint pens… but it seems that softer, felt pens are more popular. There's even calligraphy dip pens and ink and… that stuff. Some things are so _different_ that it's a bit… overwhelming. It's subtle, but when you look for them, the differences are clear.

I don't want to forget anything.

As a result, I'm planning on going against my better judgement and every instinct that screams not to do it… and write everything down.

The two smaller notebooks are going to be for that. One's for my old world, for recording memories. The other's for making sure I don't forget some things… skills, mainly.

I start planning.

I'll definitely need to dedicate some pages to math. Everything from PEMDAS to algebra to… oh, now I really wish I paid better attention to geometry… and trigonometry and what I remember about Calculus and limits and differentiation, integration, position/velocity/acceleration stuff… oh, and _vectors_. And that little bit of physics that Dad was trying to teach me… and vectors and maybe probability? But… I don't remember… and maybe chemistry? But… like… I don't really remember the periodic table… and it probably won't help me… but…

I grab the nicer one of the two smaller notebooks and a pencil and the new pencil sharpener… only to realize that my fingers are clumsy and my handwriting would probably be a mess.

I suck in a breath, holding it as I wait for the panic to subside.

Later, then. But… I replace the notebook and grab the other one. This one will be my diary. I'll improve my handwriting, at least to the point where I can read it comfortably. And then… and then I'll just have to pray that I don't forget anything.

I'll write what I can in English… and maybe the grammatical rules and some of the vocabulary for Spanish, too?

I chew at the inside of my cheek. I'll have trouble with it, that's for sure. And honestly, forgetting about it doesn't really _bother_ me. I mean, it was just a subject in school. However… at the same time… if I don't _have_ to forget something… well, why forget it? It would be a bit of a waste. I'll just put it at the back of the… the nicer notebook.

I bite down on my knuckle. Okay. I'm good now. I have a plan. I'll be fine. And… worst case scenario, I won't bemoan what I forget. Yes, it'll be a shame, but… I made my decision a long time ago, didn't I? I want this. I want this second chance, I want this new life.

And change… isn't bad. I'll learn, I promise myself. For everything I forget, I'll learn something else. I won't waste a second. I'll learn and learn and… and I'll take every opportunity I get. I won't repeat the mistakes I've made before.

I exhale sharply, bringing my hands to my cheeks with a slap that's more noise than pain, and helps clear what remains of my daze.

I'll go out, apologize to Itachi for making him wait this long and stop panicking. Stop sulking. Stop with the regrets. Stop worrying about what-ifs and maybes and stuff that I can't really change that much.

I hop off the porcelain seat, grab my bag, and go over to wash my hands… and hopefully my face, too.

Alright, Makoto. You can do this. _I_ can do this.

* * *

… I can't do this.

I whimper at the unfamiliar surroundings, and the labyrinth of shelves. Luckily, there'd been a stool big enough to elevate me to the sink, but…

IthinkIcameoutthewrongdoorandItachi'snothereandI'MLOSTANDI'MPANICKINGANDI'M…

I gulp. I'm lost. I am very, very… veryveryveryvery _very_ lost.

Good news? I'm pretty sure I'm still in the Library. Bad news? I am most definitely lost.

Oh… why did Itachi have to leave? He said that he'd only be gone for a little while… and that he was getting something… but the important thing to ask is whether he's still getting something or not. I much prefer the latter, but…

If I were taller… or could actually _read_ , I'd be less lost… but… well… I am short. I am _three years old_. I'm barely taller than the second shelf! And I honestly can't read. Not hiragana, not katakana, and… not kanji. Not enough to do me any good at least. To be fair, that's actually a bit weird for existing, since I _know_ that kanji came from Chinese characters… which, you know, came from _China_ … which probably doesn't exist in this world… but you know what? That's fine. For all I know, the Land of Fire developed in more-or-less the same way that China did… holy cow, that actually looks a _lot_ like East Asia.

I managed to find a wall. Well, _the_ wall. You know, the thing that buildings, and thus libraries, usually have? That.

And there's a very nice, colorful map of what I would assume are the Elemental Nations, considering that that's the character for fire… and that's water… and stone… and I _think_ that's wind? Yeah. Land of Fire, Land of Water, Land of Stone… but doesn't that last one mean snow? Except… there's only five characters… and based on the process of elimination, I think that's supposed to be lightning. Huh.

I sigh. This doesn't really help me. To be fair, walking randomly has a pretty low success rate, but… well, time to actually make a plan. Okay, I know that all of the rules about children getting lost say that the kid should wait in one spot for their parent/guardian to find them, or go to the nearest authority figure. Unfortunately, I have no idea where Itachi is, and I can't find an authority figure, because of the very simple fact that _I am lost and thus have no clue where_ I _even am_ , _much less_ them.

So I guess I'll stay here and start… working on my journals? I mean, if I can't find anyone, it's probably at least a relatively private and thus, safe, locati—

Wait a second, is that someone coughing?

I wince. Make that more like someone trying to hack their lungs out.

Still… a metaphorical light bulb turns on in my head. Coughing = person = someone who possibly knows what's going on because I sure do not.

I follow the sound.

"Umm… excuse me, but are you alright? That cough… do you need to see the doctor or something?" I ask, as I round a final bookshelf… and yeah, I think he needs a hospital or something. The first thing I notice is that the person I found isn't really an adult. He has pronounced lines under his eyes. His clothing looks like the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, with a flak jacket and everything, and he wears his forehead protector as a bandanna. The only thing that stands out? He also has something that looks a bit… like… a sword… attached to his back/

Wait a second, he kinda looks famili— My thoughts are promptly interrupted by another series of hacking coughs.

"...Are you sure you're alright?" I ask hesitantly.

"I'm fine," the person with the bandanna chokes out, leaning against the bookshelf. "Wait… what's a kid doing here?"

"Hey, you're still a kid, too!" I protest, crossing my arms with a huff.

"Sorry, but I'm a genin, so I'm technically an adult." Bandanna-san breaks into another coughing fit.

"Are you _sure_ that you shouldn't go to the hospital or something?" I ask, concerned.

"Nah. I've had this cough for a long time. And see? It's already gone away." Bandanna-Person-san smiles. "And… uh… how old are you?"

"I'm three years old!" I hold up three fingers, just to make sure the bandanna-person-san would understand correctly.

"Uh… where are your parents? Or guardian, or caretaker? Unless… are you lost?" Bandanna-Person-san asks.

"...it's that obvious?" I groan. "Uh… yeah… I was with someone else… but they're not here right now… so could you please… help me a little?" I ask, together with my practiced puppy-dog eyes.

"Find the exit? Sure. It's just over there." Bandanna-san points, but I shake my head.

"Actually," I look down, shifting from side to side and nervously twisting the hem of my jacket, "I'm kind of here _with_ someone, but I don't know where he is… and he'll probably come find me… eventually… so can I just… just follow you around for now?"

"Uh… you do realize that…"

"I know that you're probably busy, but I _really_ don't want to get lost again."

"Well, I'm not actually that busy. My jōnin-sensei wanted my team to just look through the library to find some techniques we were interested in before the end of the week. I've already found everything I need, since I come to the library a lot, so I'll also be just waiting around for a little bit. It's just…" he hesitates.

"Just what?" I ask, tilting my head to one side.

"You _are_ three, right?" He squints a bit, as if to see me better.

"Uh huh." I nod. "And?"

Bandanna-san chuckles nervously. "Uh… no reason."

"Yay!" I beam. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. Hey, what's your name, chibi-chan?"

I pout at the nickname, but I can't refute the very clear fact that, yes, I am _very_ short. And small. But seriously, I'm _three_. "I'm Makoto! And, uh," I rub the back of my neck, "what's yours? I mean, I've been calling you Bandanna-san in my head… but I'm pretty sure that that's not your name."

"Well, you guessed correctly. I'm Gekkō Hayate."

Huh… I think I recognize that name… must just be a coincidence. I wave the thought aside. "Well, Gekkō-san, what's that sword on your back for?"

* * *

"So, should I call you Gekkō-sensei or something?" I ask from my perch on the desk, feet swinging. "I mean, you've been teaching me a lot about shinobi stuff and even how the Library's organized…"

"I really don't care."

"Alright!" I grin impishly. "You'll be Hayate-sempai, kay?"

His head whips around. "...sempai?"

"Well, you're not old enough to be a sensei, yet." I giggle.

"Thanks, chibi. You've asked me a lot of questions about shinobi. If I'm your sempai… I was wondering, are you planning on joining the Academy?"

"Yup!" I nod vigorously.

"Hmm… who are your parents, again?"

"Oh. No, they're not shinobi, if you're wondering that. We own the Kobayashi Tea Shop, just off the main street. It's pretty close to Yamanaka Flowers?"

Hayate-sempai's quiet for a moment. "Well, if you have any questions about shinobi that your parents can't answer, being civilians and all, you can always ask me. I'm usually in the Library on weekends, especially before lunch."

"Huh? But you're probably busy, Hayate-sempai."

He laughs. "It's not like I'm doing anything productive. You're interesting, chibi-chan. Besides, teaching you stuff is fun. And those in the Academy who don't belong to a clan usually have a harder time of it than clan children. Just please don't ask me questions about the kunoichi classes. I have next-to-no clue regarding flower arrangements, or things like that.

I tilt my head. "...kunoichi classes? Are those mandatory for girls?"

"Yup. Good luck in those, chibi-chan," he chuckles, breaking into a coughing fit.

I shrug. "Don't worry, I won't be attending."

Hayate-sempai looks up from bookshelf he's perusing. "Huh? You have to."

"Only if you're a girl."

Hayate-sempai looks me up and down. "... I don't think that dressing up like a boy would help. Besides, they do have Academy records and everything, you know?"

I sweatdrop. "Gekkō-san. You don't seriously think that I'm a girl, do you?"

He blinks. "Huh?"

"I'm a boy," I deadpan. Well, physically, at least, I amend in my head.

Hayate-sempai blinks again, regarding me as though I'm insane. "No, you're not."

I sigh. "Yes, I am."

"Uh… no."

"Yes."

"No.

"Yes."

"No."

"Okay, I've already accidentally got a shinobi in trouble for pedophilia, and that was due to an accident with a whistle. I am _not_ pulling down my pants to prove it to you, and... that's mainly for your sake."

A voice coughs. "Makoto… I sincerely hope that what I just hear makes more sense once placed in context. While defending the client against perverts is not be part of the explicit mission parameters…"

"Itachi!" I grin. "Please tell Gekkō-san that I'm not a girl, and thus, am incapable of being a kunoichi or forced into kunoichi classes in the Academy?"

Itachi blinks, before looking at Gekkō-san. "Makoto-san is not a girl."

I facepalm, before I grab Itachi's hand. "Bye Hayate-sempai! Thanks for everything!"

Hayate-sempai blinks, before he waves a hand. "Bye chibi-chan, hope to see you again."

"See you again sometime!" I wave back, before promptly dragging Itachi out the store.

* * *

"I apologize for my… absence," Itachi replies in response to my unspoken question once we exit the library. "I had gone to run an errand, and it took me longer than I expected."

He swings his bag over his shoulder, and I realize that it looks smaller than before. "I went to drop off the groceries at Kobayashi Tea, and Minazuki-sensei would like me to tell you that Tenma-san and Shinko-san are very sorry for their behavior earlier. As an apology, he wished for me to ask you as to whether you would like _yakiniku_ for lunch, his treat."

I blink. I… don't know that word. But… I've had _yakitori_ , grilled children, and _yakisoba_ , stir-fried noodles before, so… grilled meat? So… like a barbecue, then?

"So… your jōnin-sensei wants to apologize to me, so he's treating us to barbecue?"

"Hai," Itachi replies.

"...okay, then. I guess." I pause. "Have you been there before? Is it good?"

Itachi pauses. "...I don't particularly like having too much meat, but the food there is good. It's relatively close to your shop, as a matter of fact."

"If you don't want to go, we don't really have to."

"Don't worry." Itachi brushes my concern off. "But my errand took a longer time than expected mainly because I also went to find my Academy history textbook. Given that you wanted to learn to read, I thought it would be best to have something interesting at hand." He looks down. "I apologize again for being late."

"Don't worry, really!" I smile. "Thanks for doing this, you really didn't have to. I really appreciate that you did, though! And I got to meet Hayate-san, so it's all good!"

"Hn."

* * *

We arrive back at Kobayashi Tea shortly.

"Kobayashi-kun, we should be done cleaning up in about half an hour," Minazuki-san informs me. "We'll leave for lunch then?"

"Thank you so much," I smile. "I'll just be in my room, then."

I head up to my room to put away my new books… and maybe get started practicing my writing. It's a bit more complicated than just that, though. I'll need to find a good hiding spot for my books. I probably should ask Otou-san if I can get a bookshelf or something for my room… and probably a ladder or step-stool or something else like that.

But for now… I survey my room. I can't just tuck it in somewhere— the books might get damaged or be accidentally discovered when Okaa-san cleans up. So nothing that would need to get washed either… I frown.

My eyes light up as they land on an incongruous shape lying by the wall. My birthday present! The rough, multicolored, reddish pillow is _perfect_. No one washes things like that! They're usually for decoration, anyways.

I frown. The hard part is _making_ a pocket out of that. I need to be able to sew. And get supplies. I can't do _any_ of that right now. However… for now, I should be able to just carry the thinner one with me. The other I can probably stash away in the pantry or something… and it's not like it's _that_ important… right? I mean, Okaa-san and Otou-san are usually pretty good about stuff like that. For now, if I just tuck it to the side of my closet… that works, I guess.

Now for the other one. What to write. Well… what about the basics? My name is Kobayashi Makoto. I am three years old. I live in Konoha. My parents were in an accident and...and as a result, they were severely injured. Konoha is green. It has many trees…

No, that's childish.

Konoha is a beautiful place situated in a lush valley, surrounded by primarily deciduous trees. It's a rather mild climate, but I can actually experience and see all four seasons— very different from southern California. I was reborn. I like it here, though, despite all the... complications.

…

…

...I give up. I can't. I just… can't. It's like trying to write with my left hand or something.

...though actually while I'm on that train of thought, I _should_ learn to do that. I mean, it's probably not much harder than what I'm already trying to do, and it's not like I don't have time. But I digress.

This is _infuriating_. It's slow, messy, my words are poorly formed, my wrist is hard, my fingers are basically frozen, and it's like I'm writing from my shoulder. Even _holding the pencil_ is hard. HOLDING THE PENCIL.

To my shame, I feel tears well up in my eyes, and I drop my pencil as I try and rub them away.

No, Makoto. Don't get frustrated. This is perfectly normal. You're physically a three-year-old. Of course you won't be the most dexterous. But it's normal. Be patient with yourself. Don't get frustrated. Just keep practicing. It's norm—

But even as part of me immediately categorizes the emotions and tries to diffuse everything, part of me just wants to bawl my eyes out.

Everything… _lost_.

My handwriting, which wasn't perfect but still nice… definitely my art skills, too. I can't draw a smooth line to save my _life_ right now. Everything… everything I like about myself…

 _And you'll lose more if you_ don't _calm down, stop being frustrated, and_ practice, part of me snarks.

I bite down on my knuckle, gnawing a little on my index finger. _Calmdowncalmdowncalm down calm down… calm down… calm… down…_

Okay. I'm fine. I'll be fine.

I slump over onto the reddish pillow, rubbing my cheek against the rough canvas-like texture.

This… is going to take a while.

* * *

Itachi finds me puffy-eyed and sprawled on a pillow, a page of random doodles open in front of me. Hey, it's less weird than the alphabet, and it's not like it doesn't help. I'm dejected, but also a bit happier— I can draw rough circles (though not yet with my fingers alone), some cross-hatches (so far only by moving my wrist, but that's a start!), and some very basic flowers.

It's considerably better than how I was when I first started… kinda. My hand gets tired very quickly, so I can write maybe a line before my handwriting gets sloppy again, and I need to take a break. Weirdly enough, I think it's easier to write with my left hand. Regardless, half-way through, after realizing the fact that I can't write for very long, I started trying to see if I could learn to write with both hands. Because… quite frankly, why not?

Still… it's _discouraging_.

Itachi accepts my mumble that I was a bit upset because my flowers didn't look nice, and just helps me wash my face. Then, after a change of clothes— because apparently the smoke smell tends to stay in clothes… and sometimes ruins nice ones— we go downstairs and get ready to go. Barbecue. Yay.

* * *

I groan as I stumble out of the _yakiniku_ shop.

I feel bloated. My stomach is basically a small beach ball, and from the looks of it, I probably ate significantly more than what most little three-year-olds normally eat.

It was definitely worth it, though. That barbecue was _good_. I like the thin beef the best, the kind that cooks quickly. I forgot the name, but it was _really_ good.

Now… I'm a bit tired, but I think that's from the food. Still, I don't really want to sleep yet. My stomach's too full for that to be remotely comfortable.

I tug on Itachi's sleeve.

He turns to face me."Yes, Makoto?"

"Are you and your team too full?" I ask.

"Well, we ate a portion that's proportionally smaller than yours, and… no, I am not too full. I… don't think Shinko-san or Izumo-san are, either." Itachi pauses. "Was there something you wanted?"

I chew on my cheek. "Do you… could I see what a typical training session is like for your team? Just so I have a better idea… of like… you know… shinobi stuff. I know you're super strong and everything, but…" I gesture futilely with my hands. I don't know the words, but… "I kinda want a more… a more…"

"A more concrete or solid image of what being a shinobi is like?" Itachi asks.

I mentally store the words away, before nodding. "Exactly!"

"Well, I'll have to ask sensei, but I don't see why not."

* * *

I sit on a tree root in the shade as I watch Team 2 running laps, before they start their stretches and exercises. It's pretty easy to tell that they've done this many, _many_ times, but… it's kind of intimidating. A typical, light warm-up is _50 laps_. And the training ground isn't that small. That's probably at least… I'm guessing ten miles, but that's probably a bit skewed based on my size in comparison to everything. Still, though… that number's probably not too far off. And even Shinko-san only really started showing a bit of physical exertion on her… I think 30-somethingth lap? Itachi barely broke a light sweat.

That was followed by stretches that made me wince (apparently splits are normal, and Shinko-san and Itachi are a bit into oversplits, though Izumo-san isn't quite there, and joint flexibility is also very important) and 50 push-ups (and not lame pushups like at the place I learned taekwondo, either), 100 sit-ups (that were intimidatingly fast), and then the kicks and punches and _they practice on wooden poles wrapped in rope and ow that looks like it really hurts_. Rope. Not soft leather-y punching bags. Nope. _Rope_.

And seriously, they're strong and have really good stamina… for what I'm used to, at least. The scariest part is that this probably isn't even mediocre amongst _shinobi_. They're _genin_. What about the _chūnin_ , or the _jōnin_ … or the true monsters, like the Akatsuki? Things that seem so straightforward in lines and blocks of color and voices and sound-effects and background music on a screen… that's not _real_. Until it is.

When they start on tree-walking and Itachi goes off to find a lake for water-walking, I silently shift to sit down there, but I don't really see it. Part of me is awestruck, especially when he pulls out _shuriken_ and _kunai_ and later trades that for hand-seals and fireballs that reflect off the ripples in the pond, but…

The other part of me is terrified. Especially when they join up again for sparring. Because I learned taekwondo _Before_. And yeah, I was a black belt, but… that honestly didn't really mean much. I was good. My forms were good, I was strong, but… for sparring? I was… good. Not great. Just… good. Kind of. And that was mostly at the end, before… _This_. Sparring for… even a minute-and-a-half, even when I finally became a semblance of "good," was… exhausting. And that was with a light warm-up that seems infantile compared to _this_. And that was with foam padding and a chest-guard and arm-guards and shin-guards and padded gloves and a helmet… and a designated target area… and even _then_ there were opponents who's kicks really hurt.

There's no padding here. The floor is hard. And the point is to put down the other person, not score points. Attacks are meant to _hurt_. And later on? Probably to kill. If I want to be a _shinobi_ , if I want to… to even survive… I'm going to have to be better than them. Better than this. And... that's a daunting idea.

But then Itachi sits down next to me when Izumo-san and Shinko-san are assigned to spar, and I turn my attention to him, asking questions one after the other.

And I think… this is worth it. Because I might actually have friends. Good friends. Friends that become like a family and that you don't have to hedge on niceties and etiquette and social standards around. And I can have everything that I wanted. And maybe I can actually eventually _feel_ the emotions that I only really read about in books and manga and watched in movies and anime.

Maybe I can actually _be_ something. Someone.

Maybe… just maybe… I can be someone special.

* * *

I wake slowly, to orangey-red light that shines through my eyelids and the sun… through… my _window_?

I sit up, rubbing my eyes, and find find Itachi with a book and a small stack of leaves. I'm… in my room. I yawn, rubbing my eyes.

"Itachi-san?" I mumble.

"Ah, you've woken up," Itachi comments. "You've been sleeping for a while, Makoto-san. It's been… about two-and-a-half _koku_ since noon." Part of my mind settles on the unfamiliar term. I've know I've heard _koku_ before… but… it's a measurement of time, but not like hours. I think. Meanwhile, Itachi continues. "I took the initiative to wash your clothes. And…" After a pause, he reaches around for a sheaf of papers. "I remembered what you said earlier, about wanting to learn to write. I understand that you are currently simply trying to become comfortable with a pencil by simply drawing, so this might be a bit too much for you right right now… but I took the time to make some worksheets for you to reference."

He hands over the bundle.

"As you can see, I wrote down the hiragana for various objects next to an… understandable drawing for each of them." He grimaces slightly. "I… am not quite the best at art, but… I managed to cover all of the hiragana, and I think you can understand what I mean with the pictures?"

I stare at the papers, bug-eyed. All that effort… for me?

My nose tingles and my eyes start to moisten and I sniff, smiling widely at Itachi through watery eyes. "Thank you so _much_ Itachi. You must have put so much effort into this… thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you thank youthankyouthankyou…" I mumble, wiping at my eyes with my pillow and sniffling loudly. I won't cry. I absolutely _won't_ cry, even though this is probably one of the nicest things someone has done for my and Itachi is too kind for humanity… because Itachi's already starting to look a bit uneasy with my display of emotions and I really don't want to make him feel awkward. Still…

I glance at the stack of papers. I am _never_ throwing this away.

* * *

As the sun sets, Itachi leads me back to the Uchiha Compound, where he has somehow managed to coerce me into staying again.

The… hour-or-so before had been been occupied with Itachi helping me to memorize a rough map of Konoha, along with a set of common signs used around Konoha. I also learned how to write (really badly) "Kobayashi Makoto," "Uchiha Itachi," Okaa-san's name, and Otou-san's name in hiragana… and my last name in kanji. Which is kinda scary, because it's literally my previous last name, with a "小" in front of it. So, my last name is "small forest." There's two of the first kanji in "Konohagakure no Sato" when it's written in kanji: 木, which means "tree."

To be fair, that doesn't mean anything. My last name was one of the most common last names in east Asia. Still… it's kinda creepy. But here's the list:

Kobayashi (in kanji) — 小林

Kobayashi Makoto — こばやし まこと

Uchiha Itachi — うちは いたち

Kobayashi Kimiko — こばやし きみこ

Kobayashi Hiroya — こばやし ひろや

Konohagakure no Sato (also in kanji) — 木ノ葉隠れの里

I'm actually kind of proud of myself.

Itachi also explained what on earth a _koku_ was. Apparently, the day is divided into six _koku_ (刻), and the night another six _koku_ , for a total of 12 _koku_ corresponding to each full day-night cycle.

So, they're each basically about two hours long… but here's the catch— they're not set. Like, they grow longer and shorter as the length of the day shifts with the seasons. So, in winter, when the days are shorter and nights are longer, the daytime _koku_ (昼刻) are shorter, and the nighttime _koku_ (夜刻) longer.

(I literally only know what those kanji look like because Itachi scribbled them down in the margins. Don't ask me them again, I probably won't know unless I find this page again. And I think they're in the right order, but don't quote me on that. But back to explaining time.)

In summer, the reverse is the case.

And apparently in some of the larger cities (like the capital), the koku are announced by a series of bell towers. For example (again in the capital, which is apparently actually named Keishi, or 京師, which is _super_ lame since that literally means "capital" and I've been calling it that forever without actually knowing), the a bell is rung for each _koku_ at this one place in the city (whose name I already forgot, which isn't good but, like… meh), and it's then re-announced by a series of eight bells located in other places around that city.

The bells would be rung nine times at midnight and noon, stepping down to eight bell strokes one _koku_ later, then seven, then six bell strokes to announce dawn or dusk, followed by five, then four, and then all the way down until it jumps back up to nine at midnight or noon.

Apparently there's also other names for this stuff, so like the _koku_ period of nine bells around midnight can be called the Hour of the Rat, and the period of six bells around dawn is the Hour of the Hare, but it's kinda confusing and apparently not really used, a bit like the case with the calendar.

So, basically, for that, there's a normal name and fancy name for each month. For example, what I'm pretty sure is August is either _hachigatsu_ , literally "eighth month," or _hazuki_ , which means "leaf month." Yeah. Creative, I get it, but it's better than September/ _kugatsu_ / _nagatsuki_ /"long month."

But really, some can get pretty weird. Like December's "Priests Running."

It's pretty cool, but… really, there's a pretty good reason most people just go with _th month, or __zuki_ name.

So I guess it'd be six bell strokes now, since the sun's setting.

Itachi's being nice and carrying the bag. I _would_ have insisted on being the one to carry the bag (it's polite, you know), except for the minor inconvenience that I'm not even tall enough to lift the strap of the duffel, which contains two sets of clothing (pajamas and stuff for tomorrow), toiletries, a towel, and my pillow.

No, really. I tried, but I had to lift my arms above my head to get the bag off the floor, and well…

So… yeah. That's why Itachi's carrying the bag.

But that's not the important thing— the important part of the story is the Itachi actually _laughed_. Well, not like, full-body-guffaw-laugh or rolling-on-the-floor-laughing, but… he smiled. A bit. It was faint, but there. And he snorted, a bit? Like that huff of air you sometimes make when you're amused?

It's a bit like finding you're the one who managed to find a bird hidden in a tree or the toy that your entire family was panicking over loosing or when you get a friend who doesn't like hugs to hug you back for a moment before threatening to judo-flip you… or even just getting a good grade. It's this weird sense of victory in something that's arguably not that important, so you shouldn't really feel that proud, but, like, you do. And it's awesome.

Itachi's what… _eight_? Seriously… like, it's cool, but… he doesn't smile nearly as much as an eight-year-old should. Or can. I should know. I knew a _lot_ of five- , six- , seven- , eight- , nine- , ten- , eleven- , twelve-year-olds. Itachi's somewhere in that age range. And even my mostly-emotionless friend (the one who threatened to judo-flip me) smiled and laughed.

I sigh, slumping slightly.

We once again pass the place with the glowing red lanterns. It's so _pretty_ in the sunset, but… it's dangerous and I promised Itachi so… I'll just be happy looking at it from a distance right now and _seriously_ wishing I could paint it.

* * *

Dinner is a bit of a train wreck. And it's entirely Sasuke's fault.

On the list of interesting and/or important stuff that's happened today… I can actually blush now. That's one very interesting side-effect of having really, _really_ pale skin.

…and that discover was also entirely Sasuke's fault.

Long story short, dinner started out really nicely. Mikoto-obasama's an amazing cook, and the _sukiyaki_ was delicious, as were the miso soup and rice. I mean, the last two aren't that special, but… they were still good.

I _love_ sukiyaki. It's one of the best parts of winter. It's consist of meat, usually thinly sliced beef, which is slowly cooked or simmered alongside vegetables and other ingredients in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, _mirin_ , which is kinda like a sweet cooking sake, and _dashi_ , a type of stock. This mixture… I think Okaa-san called it _warishita_. There's also usually tofu, _negi_ (green onions), some leafy greens, mushrooms (I like _shiitake_ mushrooms best), and noodles. The ingredients are usually dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs after being cooked in the pot— we normally just use the yolk— and then eaten.

Mikoto-obasama's sukiyaki was _really_ good.

But then Sasuke did that little-kid thing where they _try_ to whisper but fail… and whisper-asked loudly whether the "pretty _onee-san_ [who] has hair like… like snow! Or gohan! And onigiri!" is going to come over more often.

Even my hands turned red.

So, after that awkward moment, the conversation had shifted to talking about me visiting my parents in the Hospital. Embarrassingly (and shamefully) enough, I hadn't actually thought about that.

But apparently I actually _can_ visit them (and arguably should), and after a few minutes "we've" decided that tomorrow, Itachi will bring me to visit my parents in the Hospital.

Though, honestly, there wasn't really a "we." It was more like… Mikoto-obasama requested and we obeyed. She's the benevolent, all-mighty ruler of this household and I bow in terror and awe at her power.

Later on, after I've offered to help with the dishes (and been rebuffed with a bit of laughing… which is fair), I brush my teeth, take a well-need bath, and… I discover that Sasuke's a typical kid in that he can't actually fall asleep easily. And that he's very easily woken up. And that he's probably a bit in love with my hair.

Half-way through trying to endure a whispered conversation, I just get up and get out, using the excuse that I was just going to get some water because I was thirsty… which then changed to using the restroom after Sasuke went _with_ me and I had to suffer nearly ten minutes of awkwardness.

I drag my pillow a door or so down to Itachi's bedroom because I'd honestly rather not sleep on the floor and Itachi probably knows if they have any extra _fūton_ or something.

I knock once, gently, then creak open the door. There's a light on, and I see Itachi kneeling at the low table in the room.

"...Itachi? I'm sorry for bothering you, but…" I grimace. "Sasuke's… a bit excited to have… someone over, and… he keeps playing my hair and that's fine but then he actually falls asleep and I try to move and it's uncomfortable and he wakes up."

"Do you not like it when people touch your hair?" Itachi asks. "I can ask him to stop if it's bothering you.

I shake my head. "That's fine… but my hair's scratchy against my face and neck, and it's a bit uncomfortable when my head's tilted in a weird way and I can't move. And he also moves a lot, which is a bit weird. And… and he keeps _whispering_ , but he can't actually whisper, so it's really loud."

Itachi hums, still scanning the page, evidently thinking. I'm about to ask if there's an extra _fūton_ that I can use or something when he sets the book down and turns. "Stay here."

I blink. That's really not what I was expecting, but… "...is that okay? You don't mind? Because… I'm perfectly fine with an extra _fūton_ or something."

"Not at all," Itachi responds. "I'm used to it. Sasuke sometimes comes over during storms, or when he just feels scared in his room." He pauses. "Provided you don't mind the light, or course. I still have a few things I've been meaning to do."

I wince. "Oh. Sorry if everything during the day kept you from it…"

Itachi waves my concerns off. "Oh, not at all. I usually set aside some personal projects for this time. I rarely sleep before two and a half." _Koku_ , my mind supplies. So… before nine.

"Okay then, if you don't mind." I agree.

Itachi smiles faintly, and it might be a trick of the light again, but... "And quite frankly, it's easier than finding and setting up a _fūton_."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," I grin. "So I'll just…" I point to the bed. "So… is there a side you prefer I don't take, or…"

"I don't mind. Pick whatever side you want," Itachi replies.

"Okay," I yawn, rubbing at my eyes, shuffling over to the raised bed. I toss my pillow up, then clamber up with the help of the sheets and tucking myself in. Ah, it's a duvet. That's nice. I burrow into the blankets. "O… _Oyasuminasai_ ," I murmur. Goodnight.

"Oyasumi, Makoto."

* * *

On the second day of the baby-sitting D-ranks, I wake to a hand shaking my shoulder and a stack of clothes, along with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel, set beside me.

Breakfast is nice, with miso soup, rice, _nattō_ (a strong side dish with fermented soybeans, which Sasuke turns up his nose at, but I kinda like) with _karashi_ (a bit like mustard) and chopped spring onions, and _tamagoyaki_ (rolled up egg omelet). Afterwards, I quickly go change into my new clothes, folding the others up somewhat-nicely, and toss my toiletries into.

Sasuke-san again refers to me as "pretty _onee-san_ " when asking me to pass the bowl of chopped-up spring onions. Apparently, no one felt brave enough to correct his assumption that I was an older girl the day before.

...No one honestly feels brave enough to break the awkwardness by correcting him today, either, and we just ignore the elephant in the room. I feel more flattered than embarrassed though, now.

After breakfast, Itachi and I leave to meet up with the rest of Team 2 at the tea shop, and, in short order, we make plans to go to the hospital.

* * *

It's a pretty building, with a turquoise-y roof with pipes over it and soft white walls. There are shiny wooden slats across the bottoms of the windows, which have greenish shutters over them. It's three stories high, but that's not counting the part covered by the roof, and I'm guessing there's more underground, because it doesn't seem that big. It covers a lot of ground, though, and there's even something like backyard in the back.

The entrance is kind of intimidating, though. There's something a bit like an awning in the front, made of what seems to be the same stuff as the roof, and just above it is a green sign, lined in yellow, surrounding a massive character in a red circle that's also lined in yellow.

(医)

That thing's almost on the third story, and the character's probably bigger than I am.

When I ask, Itachi explains that it's the kanji for _ishi_ (医), which means "medicine" or "healing"

There's also a sign underneath the awning that's less flashy, reading 木ノ葉病院, which is… " _Konoha Byōin_ ," which literally translates to "Tree Leaf Hospital." Guess they really weren't in the mood for something original. Still… it's straightforward and makes sense, so… maybe they were on to something.

Through the doors, we immediately head to the check-in area. Minazuki-san and Shinko-san offer to go with me, but…

I'd feel kinda awkward with them there, too.

"Is it okay if I just go with Itachi? He's met Okaa-san and Otou-san before, and…" And it would be less awkward, my mind fills in.

Luckily, they seem to be okay with it, and simply go to sit in the waiting area. Itachi brings me over to the desk, and helps me ask the nice receptionist which room Kobayashi Hiroya and Kobayashi Kimiko are in. It turns out they're on the second floor, so Itachi and I head over to the stairs. They're nicer than the fire-escape-esque stairs I'd found in most places Before, probably because everyone uses them— there aren't any elevators here. I stick to the wall as medic-nin and people scramble through.

My legs hurt. It's one thing climbing stairs when you're 5'6". It's another thing entirely when the stair steps are higher than your knee. My face is red— partially with exertion, partially with embarrassment that Itachi needs to stop and wait for me every few seconds.

When I reach the top, I pointedly refuse to look Itachi in the eye. I had resorted to crawling the last quarter of the way.

Itachi tactfully doesn't comment, though a ghost of a smile seems to flit over his face. No. It was a trick of the light. Itwasatrickofthelightitwasatrickofthelightitwas…

"Is… is there somewhere I can wash my hands?" I choke out, face burning.

A nice passerby… I think probably a nurse… helpfully points us to the bathroom, and I hurry over.

I quickly wash my hands, also splashing some water on my face. When I step out, I'm almost bowled over by a cart. Luckily, a hand helpfully pulls me out of the way. I luckily, I trip, and only _barely_ manage not to face plant.

"Thanks, Itachi," I squeak, wide eyes following the cart that nearly… ran me over. "They seem… in a bit of a rush. Do you know which room Okaa-san and Otou-san are in?"

"Yes. If you are ready?"

I nod.

* * *

"Ah… sorry about that, Itachi," I murmur when we walk out the room about half-an-hour later. "I think Otou-san might just have been tired… or maybe he's in pain or something. Okaa-san likes you, though, I think."

"They seem to be recovering well." Itachi smiles. " I think your Okaa-san and Otou-san will be released by the end of the week."

I chew at my cheek. "If a shinobi got injured the same, how long would it take for them?"

"Well, with a capable medic-nin… perhaps a matter of hours," Itachi replies.

"Is that because shinobi are stronger than civilians? Or because they have chakra?" I ask.

"Shinobi are more used to channeling chakra," Itachi explains. "It would be dangerous to use medical ninjutsu on a civilian because they're simply not used to channeling chakra."

"Mm," I hum. "I guess that makes sense."

I think back to what Okaa-san and Otou-san had looked like. They'd both had lots of bandages and a cast on a limb or three, but Otou-san had been more severely injured than Okaa-san. They'd seemed in good spirits, but… they'd also seemed a bit bored. And…

"Ne, Itachi?" I ask. "What's the food like in the hospital?

"...from what I have heard, it's… rather bland," Itachi admits. "Why?"

"Can we visit tomorrow? And bring… maybe some books or something?" I ask. "It seems… a bit boring in the hospital. I'm not sure if we're allowed to bring food in there, though."

"That's a very good idea, Makoto," Itachi replies. "I'm sure they would appreciate that. Do you know if they have books they prefer? And I think they would also like a get-well card from you."

I laugh. "As long as you teach me how." I bite my lip. "I've looked a bit at what you made yesterday, but… is there a bigger list of all the hiragana or something? And isn't there also… what was it called… oh! Yeah, there's also katakana, right? And kanji?"

Itachi smiles, and it's faint, but it's definitely not a trick of the light. "Of course."

I beam.

A few steps later, he continues. "Why don't we first get out of the hospital?"

I cover my face with a hand. "Yeah. That's… probably important. Probably a good first step."

I am so _embarrassed_.

…

…Oh, _no_. I have to go down the stairs now.

I groan softly.

* * *

I flop backwards on my rug, groaning.

My head hurts.

So, the fifty basic hiragana are apparently usually arranged in something like a table. I think it'll be easier once I can make one for reference with, like, what they sound like or something in English (because I'm pretty sure I saw something like that at one point when I was Googling some things), but… that'll have to come later, like at some time when I can actually write legibly. For now… my head just kind of hurts from trying to imagine everything mentally.

So, first, for hiragana, the curlier kind, there are the "basic" vowel sounds: a, i, u, e, o.

They're represented by あ, い, う, え, お.

Then there are what are basically the basic vowel sounds, but with what sounds like a constant in front:

ka (か), ki (き), ku (く), ke (け), ko (こ)

sa (さ), si (し), su (す), se (せ), so (そ)

ta (た), ti (ち), tu (つ), te (て), to (と)

na (な), ni (に), nu (ぬ), ne (ね), no (の)

ha (は), hi (ひ), hu (ふ), he (へ), ho (ほ)

ma (ま), mi (み), mu (む), me (め), mo (も)

ra (ら), ri (り), ru (る), re (れ), ro (ろ)

There are also some weird ones, which doesn't use all the vowel sounds.

ya (や), yu (ゆ), yo (よ)

wa (わ), wo (を)

And there's also n (ん) that's sometimes put at the end of words.

It's almost the same, pronunciation-wise at least, for katakana.

There are the "basic" vowel sounds: a, i, u, e, o.

They're represented by ア, イ, ウ, エ, オ.

Then there's everything else:

ka (カ), ki (キ), ku (ク), ke (ケ), ko (コ)

sa (サ), si (シ), su (ス), se (セ), so (ソ)

ta (タ), ti (チ), tu (ツ), te (テ), to (ト)

na (ナ), ni (ヌ), nu (ヌ), ne (ネ), no (ノ)

ha (ハ), hi (ヒ), hu (フ), he (ヘ), ho (ホ)

ma (マ), mi (ミ), mu (ム), me (メ), mo (モ)

ra (ラ), ri (リ), ru (ル), re (レ), ro (ロ)

ya (ヤ), yu (ユ), yo (ヨ)

wa (ワ), wo (ヲ)

And "n" (ン)

Some, like the hiragana "he" (へ) and the katakana "he" (ヘ) look really similar, which makes me thankful that they can be used almost interchangeably.

That's the _basics_.

There's also some other things that are important, like… the fact that there is exactly one correct way to write each _kana_ , or character. To be fair, that's the case for most characters, especially _kanji_ … or at least, if they're anything like Chinese characters… which I'm pretty sure they are.

I can write all of them… mostly. I know _how_ to write each of them, provided I have a reference, but… memorizing all of them is going to be a pain. And there's still more to go!

A handkerchief-wrapped box appears in my sights and I grab it eagerly, rolling back upright.

"Thanks Itachi!" I beam. "Wait… this was what Mikoto-sama gave you in the morning before we left, right? Because I know you're super-human, but I'm pretty sure you didn't leave for long enough to make a bento."

Itachi smiles softly, unwrapping an identical bento. "Yes. She also hopes you will come over for dinner again. Apparently, she does not have the greatest faith in the child-rearing capabilities of a genin team."

I nod, shoving away the memory of her _smile_ after a shudder, too focused on unwrapping the bento to answer verbally. I take of the lid, and…

"Awww… this is _so_ cool! Are those… the octopus-shaped things are sausages, right? The _onigiri_ are so cute! Mikoto-sama made them look like a cat!" I take a bite, and beam. "Mmmm! It's _okaka_ , right?"

 _Okaka_ are bonito flakes (dried flakes of a type of fish), moistened with soy sauce.

Itachi nods. "Your onigiri are filled with either _okaka_ or _kombu_. _Okaka_ is Sasuke's favorite, though he likes when it's mixed with tomatoes, and I personally prefer _kombu_. Haha-ue wasn't sure which you prefered."

I hum. "I like both of those, I think. If Mikoto-sama really wants to know, though… the only thing I don't really like is _umeboshi_." I scrunch my nose. Blergh. _Umeboshi_ , pickled plum, is _really_ sour, and I _really_ don't like it. I've tried to like it, but… it's right up there with brussel sprouts on the list of things I don't like, but kinda wish I did.

"I'll let her know," Itachi nods again, smiling faintly.

The next few minutes are simply dedicated to enjoying the bento, but soon a question crosses my mind.

"Your team's… took a break for lunch, right?"

Itachi nods.

"I was wondering…" I start slowly, "The shop's almost back to new. I don't want what happened before to happen again, but… how hard do you think it would be to open the shop?"

Itachi chews slowly, before he sets down his chopsticks. "It… would depend on what exactly is needed to do to run the shop. For example, I would assume that my team has the capabilities to run, for example, a weapons shop, if given an idea of the pricing and with at least one supervisor. On the other hand, I would not assume that my team has to capabilities to run… let us assume… a restaurant."

I frown. "Well… we sell tea. We don't just sell the dried tea, in bags, though. Sometimes, people want to stay and drink tea, so we also serve cups and pots of tea. In addition to tea, we also serve _senbei_ , _dango_ , _higashi_ , and _wagashi_. I know that _higashi_ and _wagashi_ usually served in tea ceremonies, but we offer them in a casual setting. And we also have the tea ceremony rooms. The walls are a bit thicker than normal rice paper, and I think there's stuff there for privacy, but I'm not exactly sure what. There are lots of differently-sized rooms. Some people also use them for their own stuff, and we get money for letting them use the room and for the supplies."

Itachi nods slowly. "May I ask which people?"

"I think… _maiko_ and _geiko_ , uh… _geisha_." I frown. "The pretty onee-san with the painted faces and fancy kimono? They serve tea, and sometimes hold small parties… and I think it depends on the party, but we usually prepare the food. I think. In front of them? Okaa-san said something like ' _shinobi wa higaimōzō desu_.'" I scrunch my nose. "I don't know what that means, though."

Itachi covers his mouth with a hand, and I stare grumpily at him. He's laughing at me. I'm sure of it. Or… to be technical, _smiling_ at me. But… still, laughing. Just… not?

"Your Okaa-san means that shinobi tend to… not trust strangers with their food. Or with their back, for that matter. It makes shinobi feel better if they can make sure that no one, for example, poisons their food during preparation."

"Ah," I nod. So, basically, shinobi are paranoid. "But…" I tilt my head. "They sometimes trust people… right? Because sometimes Okaa-san and Otou-san bring in food that's already prepared, and the plates come out empty."

Itachi's eyebrows lift, ever-so-slightly. "Then those shinobi trust your parents. That is… quite impressive."

I duck into my shoulders. "But… maybe it's probably best not to do that this week. I don't think they'll mind too much, but… I don't want anything bad to happen. Plus, a lot of the people like their privacy." I wince. "No offense to Shinko-chan or Tenma-san, but…"

Itachi shakes his head. "No, I understand."

I chew my cheek. "If Shinko-san and Izumo-san can help wash up and clean and Minazuki-san can work at the register… we can sell tea. We might need to take dango off the menu, though…"

"I can make dango," Itachi nods, "so there shouldn't be a problem there. Though… if I may ask, where do you get your _senbei_?"

"Our… _senbei_?" I flush, rubbing at my neck. "We normally ship senbei in, in bulk, about once every month. They aren't _bad_ , but… as a result, the senbei usually aren't that fresh." I grimace. "I mean, we try to keep them dry and crunchy and… you know, _yummy_ , and they're pretty good… but…" I sigh. "I actually asked Okaa-san and Otou-san about that. The problem with making our own is that we don't have an charcoal grill, and we definitely don't have the space required for one that's large enough to make the amount of senbei we need, much less all of the materials." I flop backwards. "Also, we _definitely_ don't have the time to make that many senbei."

"I think… should your parents agree, then, I may have a solution," Itachi offers.

I sit up. "Wait, what? You do?'

"In the Uchiha district, there is a _senbei_ store, owned by this old couple. If we visit your parents again tomorrow, I can ask, and… perhaps they can reach an agreement." Itachi smiles.

"That could be really nice!" I beam. "Then, let's get started! If we hurry… I think we might be able to open tomorrow!"

* * *

What seems like an eternity later, I've once again flopped face-first into my wonderful birthday pillow.

Even just katakana and hiragana are so _complicated_.

Apart from the basics, there's also these… kinda like slide-y sounds.

Like a sound like "kya" would be きゃ, which is basically the kana for "ki" and "ya" smushed together, and with the latter one shrunken slightly.

So, like you might have guessed, there's a new list of… stuff. A lot of it's self-explanatory, but...

kya (きゃ), kyu (きゅ), kyo (きょ)

sha (しゃ), shu (しゅ), sho (しょ)

cha (ちゃ), chu (ちゅ), cho (ちょ)

nya (にゃ), nyu (にゅ), nyo (にょ)

hya (ひゃ), hyu (ひゅ), hyo (ひょ)

mya (みゃ), myu (みゅ), myo (みょ)

rya (りゃ), ryu (りゅ), ryo (りょ)

And there's also a set for katakana.

kya (キャ), kyu (キュ), kyo (キョ)

sha (シャ), shu (シュ), sho (ショ)

cha (チャ), chu (チュ), cho (チョ)

nya (ニャ), nyu (ニュ), nyo (ニョ)

hya (ヒャ), hyu (ヒュ), hyo (ヒョ)

mya (ミャ), myu (ミョ), myo (ミョ)

rya (リャ), ryu (リュ), ryo (リョ)

But there's also other stuff, and _that's_ what's giving me a headache.

Like, for katakana, there's っ, ゝ, and ゞ, which all have to do with pronunciation and how stuff sounds. There's even more for katakana, though. ー is the weird one. Without that, there's just ッ, ヽ, and ヾ.

However, there's still more kana, which are kinda similar to some of the basic kana, but… not.

For hiragana, there's

ga (が), gi (ぎ), gu (ぐ), ge (げ), go (ご), and the weirder gya (ぎゃ), gyu (ぎゅ), gyo (ぎょ)

za (ざ), zi… though it's more like "ji" (じ), zu (ず), ze (ぜ), zo (ぞ), with ja (じゃ), ju (じゅ), jo (じょ)

da (だ), di (ぢ), du/dzu/zu (づ), de (で), do (ど), dya (ぢゃ), dyu (ぢゅ), dyo (ぢょ)

ba (ば), bi (び), bu (ぶ), be (べ), bo (ぼ), bya (びゃ), byu (びゅ), byo (びょ)

pa (ぱ), pi (ぴ), pu (ぷ), pe (ぺ), po (ぽ), pya (ぴゃ), pyu (ぴゅ), pyo (ぴょ)

For katakana...

ga (ガ), gi (ギ), gu (グ), ge (ゲ), go (ゴ), and the weirder gya (ギャ), gyu (ギュ), gyo (ギョ)

za (ザ), zi… though it's more like "ji" (ジ), zu (ズ), ze (ゼ), zo (ゾ), with ja (ジャ), ju (ジュ), jo (ジョ)

da (ダ), something like "ji," "dji," or "jyi" (ヂ), zu (ヅ), de (デ), do (ド), ja (ヂャ), ju (ヂュ), jo (ヂョ)

ba (バ), bi (ビ), bu (ブ), be (ベ), bo (ボ), bya (ビャ), byu (ビュ), byo (ビョ)

pa (パ), pi (ピ), pu (プ), pe (ペ), po (ポ), pya (ピャ), pyu (ピュ), pyo (ピョ),

Seriously, the last two rows are basically _identical_. Only, instead of the thing-y like the closing quotations ("), there's the degree sign (°).

And my hands hurt. Both of them.

And my writing looks like scribbles at this point.

…

My back's kinda stiff, too. I didn't actually know that three-year olds could _feel_ stiff.

Even my _eyes_ hurt.

…

And I currently sound a bit like a dying elephant.

…

I roll back into a sitting position, sighing.

At least, by this point, I get to take a break… and try to explain things to Shinko-san, who keeps going on and on about how "cute" I am, Tenma-san, who clearly doesn't want to be here, and Minazuki-san… who's clearly just humoring the little "client."

… I want to just flop back again and take a nap.

There's a reason Itachi's my favorite. And it's not that he's the youngest and shortest, and thus, the least intimidating and most approachable.

* * *

I slump behind Itachi, feet dragging on the ground, as we head to the Uchiha compound.

I'm so tired at this point that I don't even care about being polite— Itachi's carrying all the groceries we'd gotten the day before. Hey, if I'm going to be taking advantage of Mikoto-sama's hospitality, I might as well pay her back a bit. Plus, there's no point in letting the groceries go to waste.

I yawn, quickly covering my mouth with a hand.

I didn't take a nap. It's still about a _koku_ until sunset… so about four in the afternoon?

I scramble to catch up with Itachi. I feel bad that I'm making him carry everything, but…

Like I've said, I am _tired_.

* * *

That night, Mikoto-obasama makes _nikujaga_ , dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce, sometimes other vegetables. It's a bit like beef stew. It's mostly potatoes, and it's usually boiled until most of the liquid has been reduced. The meat's usually either thinly sliced beef, minced/ground beef, or pork.

Mikoto-sama uses thinly-sliced beef, and also adds _hakusai_ , something a bit like Chinese cabbage _Before_ , and carrots.

It's delicious, and I actually stay mostly awake throughout the entirety of dinner.

There's even some apples and strawberries for dessert!

They're what help me get through the headache of Itachi explaining units of measurement.

The standard basics are _shaku_ (尺) for length, _tsubo_ (坪) for area, _shō_ (升) for volume, and _kan_ (貫) for what I think is mass. A _shaku's_ about a foot and a _shō_ is about half a gallon.

But for length, there's also _sun_ (寸), which are about one-tenth of a _shaku_ , _ken_ (間), which are about six _shaku_ , _ri_ (里), which are 12,960 _shaku_ , and more.

Luckily, there are a lot of measurements that are logical… like, metric-system logical.

Like, for area, a _shaku_ (勺), which is different from the length _shaku_ (尺), is 1/100 of a _tsubo_. There's also the _go_ (合) for volume, which is the usual way of measuring sake and is 1/10 of a _shō_ , and the _koku_ (石), which is pretty important because it's considered to be approximately the amount of rice necessary to feed a civilian for an entire year, which is useful when calculating food rations in wartime. And there's yet another _shaku_ for volume, which is 1/100 of a _shō_ , but uses the same kanji as the _shaku_ for area, which is pretty confusing.

It's also my official introduction to _kanji_ , since Itachi moves on from that to creating a worksheet of basic kanji… with pronunciations and spelling in _hiragana_ , which is arguably a good way to familiarize me with those kana, but also serves to make everything blur in front of my eyes. It's arguably worse than learning physics.

Because some things are relatively easy. I knew the numbers for one through ten from Before, as well as some of the other really basic kanji that have the same structure and meaning as they do in Chinese, and just have a different pronunciation… but…

甘 means "sweet." 廿 means the number 20. It's the single-character equivalent of writing 二十. The primary meaning of 井 is "well," as in, a hole for drawing water from deep in the ground. 丼 means "donburi," that bowl of rice with various toppings. And some things _aren't_ the same, which is really annoying! I knew the _simplified_ Chinese characters… but… evidently, some things haven't been simplified yet.

Like "bird." I learned it as 鸟, but in Japanese it's 鳥. Worse, 烏 designates a crow or a raven, and they look _almost identical_. And there's also 馬, which means _horse_ of all things. That used to be 马!

* * *

The next morning, I wake up to a pudgy finger poking my cheek and a three-year-old's face that's way too close to me. Yeah, Sasuke's cute as a toddler, but… personal space, please?

And once again, I blush bright red. Because I was so tired that I'd slept through half of breakfast and I _drooled_. On the table. I quickly wipe it off with a napkin, but… I really wish I knew how to sink into the ground right now and disappear.

Still, the _okayu_ — which is a bit like… congee, or the rice porridge I was used to and loved _Before_ , but less broken-down— is really good with the green onions and grilled hamachi, also known as _buri_ , which Itachi shows me is written as 鰤.

And I have discovered that Itachi is a _very_ dedicated teacher who has decided to _carry around a small notebook and pens with him so that he can show me the kanji for everything throughout the day_. Me? I'm _very_ intimidated. And there's something kinda scary about that tiny smile he has on right now.

* * *

I'm even more intimidated. Because in the time I was sleeping, Itachi had managed to obtain a list of prices of the couple who run Uchiha Senbei, and we're going to visit my parents as soon as I have time to make a get-well card.

And… that _smile_. I internally whimper when the realization finally strikes me— that's the same smile Mikoto-sama used. The same smile she had worn when… _inviting_ me to dinner, and that she had used when Fugaku-sama had tried to protest.

I simply paste on a smile (hopefully hiding how terrified I am) and nod rapidly, accepting the card and envelope that Itachi pulls out of seemingly nowhere and scrambling back to the room to grab a pen and some of the colorful crayons that Itachi keeps in his room so Sasuke doesn't lose them.

* * *

What seems like an hour later, my head is _spinning_ , and I think Otou-san actually likes Itachi now.

And, at this point, Itachi deserves at least double the pay of the rest of his genin team.

Long story short, Kobayashi Teas will have a new contract with Uchiha Senbei as soon as it's officialized. And everyone's really happy. My parents are happy to get fresh senbei at a lower price than slightly stale senbei. Uchiha Senbei also really happy to expand their business, because it location inside the Uchiha compound heavily restricts their customer base. The agreement's a win-win scenario.

* * *

A little while later, I'm pouring over one of my larger notebooks at one of the tables downstairs. I've got the worksheets scattered around me, and I'm trying to write down everything that happened that day. Then, I'll move on to… write about something, anything else. Maybe name different animals, or types of weather, or even write more about what I remember.

It's slow going, and each hand can only really write a few lines before tiring, but I just try for another word, another line, just a _little bit more_ before switching hands.

It's also almost embarrassingly messy. There's smeared pencil over the paper and my hands… and even my forearms, and I've accidentally creased the paper several times, but… I'm improving.

Meanwhile, Itachi's preparing _dango_ and the rest of his team gets to work sorting out the shelves and familiarizing themselves with everything. Whenever my hands need a longer break, or I've gotten a bit too frustrated with my inability to remember specific _kana_ , I head over to make sure they're working smoothly.

I'm pretty nervous, but… it should be fine. With any luck, we'll open about half a _koku_ after lunch, and close about half a _koku_ before sunset. Less than four hours. We'll be fine.

* * *

For lunch, Team 2 leaves again to… go eat, I'd assume, and Itachi once again brings out a bento, this time full of just _onigiri_ , and he takes some of he restocked the kitchen earlier, when he'd gone to buy ingredients for _dango_ , to make miso soup and fried lotus root, which is nice and crunchy. And dango. Lots of dango.

We normally serve a wide variety of dango, but it wasn't until I saw how confused the rest of Team 2 was that I realized that maybe not everyone's used to more than just _botchan_ and maybe _mitarashi_ or _anko_ dango.

Dango is generically just a sweet made from _mochiko_ , rice flour, that's a bit similar to mochi.

The many different varieties of dango are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it. _Anko_ dango is commonly served with _anko_ , sweetened red bean ( _azuki_ ) paste. _Chadango_ is green-tea flavored dango. _Botchan_ dango, also known as _hanami_ dango or _sanshoku_ dango has three colors, but is only served in the springtime. _Kuri_ dango is dango coated in chestnut paste. _Goma_ dango is served with a salty-sweet sauce made from sugar and ground black sesame seeds. _Kibi_ dango is made with millet flour. _Kinako_ dango is made with _kinako_ , toasted soy flour, or just covered in _kinako_. _Mitarashi_ dango is lightly-grilled dango covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. _Kurumi_ dango is dango covered in a sweet walnut paste. _Yomogi_ dango is dango made with _yomogi_ , a type of herb. _Zunda_ dango is dango covered in _zunda_ , sweet ground green soybean (edamame).

Today, we've got the normal _dango_ with the difference sauces/toppings.

I think I've eaten too much dango, though— my jaw's tired from chewing and I'm a bit too full. Still… fresh dango is just so good, and Itachi makes them different from Okaa-san and Otou-san!

Still, I can't wait till the shop opens!

* * *

At almost two and a half _koku_ after noon, probably about a bit before five in the afternoon, I am ready to keel over and start crying.

I'd completely forgotten that doing this would mean forgoing my nap.

At first, things went perfectly fine. Shinko-san and Izumo-san washed dishes and served tea and cleaned tables and kept everything tidy. Minazuki-san manned the register. And Itachi and I took orders, prepared tea, prepared the plates of _dango_ or _senbei_ or whatever else was ordered, and served the customers.

That was fine.

We survived the well-meaning grandmothers and grandfathers and frequent customers, and even Yamanaka-sama, who'd popped in to say hello, and the very stern, very intimidating gazes of Hyūga… I-forgot-or-never-knew-the-person's-name-and-was-too-scared-of-him-to-find-out. There was a bit of an awkward moment when Itachi had been the one to greet him, but we survived. Luckily, Hyūga Hizashi-san was nicer, even though apologies are always awkward, and the very nice person known as Hyūga Hitomi, who I'm _certain_ I've seen before but don't remember well, also came to… check in on me. I think. I also think she'd visited my parents yesterday, but I was so taken aback by a _smiling, cheerful_ Hyūga that I'm afraid I kinda blanked out on a lot of the conversation.

We survived all of that. And then, around one-and-a-half _koku_ past noon… I meet the species of human being known as fangirls for the first time.

Or at least, for the first time in this world, and for the first time while in the presence of the target of their fangirling.

And they are terrifying and slightly disturbing and I am amazed that Itachi did not take me up on my offer to let him hide in my room upstairs. Itachi deserves a _very_ big tip for this mission. The shop was crowded to the point of bursting.

Normally, it's roomy, peaceful, but with a decent flow of customers and a nice atmosphere.

Now? It feels a bit like how I imagine a Black Friday sale in person would feel like.

I don't know how his fans found him. I don't want to know how much free time his fans have or that they have decided to spend on gawking at Itachi. But the fact is, they have someone flocked here.

And I… kinda capitalized on that fact.

It wasn't like I could shoo them away, after all… and all it took were some comments over how _rude_ it was to hang around inside a store without buying anything, as well as an aside to a nice grandmother who wanted to know why the _dango_ and _senbei_ tasted a bit different that Itachi was making the _dango..._ and the tables, as well as the area outside, were packed.

Still… when that bustle hadn't faded after what seemed like an _hour_ , I was more than ready to push them out the door and shut them out. When it turns out that we ran out of ingredients for the dango, I practically jumped for joy.

Only, I didn't, because I was too tired, but my mood definitely did.

And now, we're _finally_ done.

I smile and wave at the remaining patrons who leave the shop.

When the last person walks out the door, I grab a stool, flip the sign on the back of the front door to "CLOSED," and heave a sigh of relief.

We're done. We've survived.

* * *

That night, Mikoto-obasama makes _oden,_ a one-pot dish of various savory goodies simmered in a soy sauce and _dashi_ kelp broth. Common ingredients include boiled eggs, _chikuwa_ fish cake, squid balls, thick cuts of _daikon_ radish, octopus, and _konnyaku_ yam.

I'd actually needed to be shaken awake where I'd nodded off on the table, but it was worth it for the _oden._

That didn't stop me from immediately going back to sleep after dinner, though.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke accidentally smashes one of Mikoto-sama's flower vases. His socks had slipped on the polished wooden floor when he'd sprinted full speed around a corner.

Breakfast is grilled _hamachi,_ along with rice and miso soup and _nattō_ , but no one actually speaks over the elephant in the room of Mikoto-obasama's broken vase.

Itachi and I quickly leave the house, but Itachi hesitates on the way to the hospital.

"Makoto?" he asks. "Do you mind if I go to replace the vase Sasuke broke?"

I shake my head. It's not like Okaa-san and Otou-san won't be at the hospital if we take a detour.

Itachi turns to head a bit further from the center of Konoha, to the more civilian districts. He stops at a small shop. There's some really pretty ceramic pieces in the window, with a tea set and even some vases, displayed with branches of flowering plum blossoms.

Next door, there's a place with glass… and there's also a woodworking shop nearby. And a store with what seem like either decorative wall-scrolls and panels or calligraphy supplies… or possibly both, which we passed on the way here. And a store with what seem like second-hand _kimono_.

I push my way through the still-open door to the pottery shop. Too self-conscious to approach the front, I decide to look around instead. It's interesting in here. Contrary to what the window shows, there's more than just pottery. There's also metalworks. Part of me registers Itachi talking to a… Nonomura-san, but I'm more interested in a table with brightly colored… hair pins? _Kanzashi_.

They're stacked in an open box. Most of them look similar. There are a lot of designs that I'm pretty sure are for winter and spring, based on what I've seen the _maiko_ wearing. There's greens and a lot of soft pinks and purples, all rendered in folded silk triangles.

Wait, no. Not all of them. The light gleams off something metallic, closer to the bottom of the box, and… oh, wow.

It's a hair-pin, but… it's _metal_. And not like of those fans or the ones meant to make noise. No, it's like the ones with silk flowers… just not made of silk. There's a bundle of… what seem to be white chrysanthemums and red maple, the ones with seven-pointed leaves, and there are small, yellow leaves interspersed to provide accents of color to the red and white that also trail down in lightly clanking chains, though there's also two trails of the maple leaves.

It's _beautiful_.

I've never seen anything like it, but… _wow._

"Makoto?" I turn, clutching at the _kanzashi._ "Do you want the hairpin?"

I bite my lip, looking again at the hairpin, but I shake my head. It's pretty, but… "It's… it's fine. I didn't bring any money."

"Are you sure?" Itachi asks. "I can get it for you. You can just pay me back later.

I pause for a minute too long.

"I'll go ask," Itachi calls over his shoulder as he walks to the front.

I stay behind, examining the pin. Yes, it's pretty, but… it probably wouldn't look good on me. Plus, I've already got issues with being mistaken for a girl. While that's not a problem in its own right… it's the small things that bug me.

Like being shooed away from the fallen tree trunks with the bugs. Or the disapproving looks when I'd just throw on a shirt and shorts and end up with grass stains and on my knees, or laugh too loud, or shout in exhilaration. Or the horrified looks when I'd hold a butterfly or a bee in my hand and rush to show it to my parents. Or having a random parent tsk about my parents and their poor child-rearing skills just within earshot. Or when I'd annoy Shino and he'd push me down a hill, which he's done more than once and ends with me returning the favor as soon as I've clambered back up… but the "well-meaning" person immediately shoots him a dirty look and rushes to help me up. Or when someone would accidentally shove me aside and then their parent would make them apologize to me because it's not nice to hit a girl or… or something.

It's not even that big of a deal, it's just… _annoying,_ especially when I want to try and be more social.

It seems like everyone just cares too much when they think I'm a girl. I'm not made of glass, I'd prefer if they didn't treat me that way. I'm pretty sure they don't mean anything by it, but… still. And people tend to be more… unknowingly condescending in an effort to be "nice."

Sure, it'll probably be useful if I want to… infiltrate something when I'm a shinobi, but… it's kinda suffocating. Add that to how the _fangirls_ has acted yesterday, and… I don't really want to be thought of that way. I don't want to be associated with… them. Not now.

I'm still staring at the pin when Itachi returns. "A significant portion of the hairpin is made of gold, and it's actually the first piece made by the Nonomura-san's daughter. He doesn't have a price set on it, yet, so he has to ask her, but—"

I sigh. "It's probably too expensive." And I'm already thankful for everything Otou-san and Okaa-san do for me, and it wouldn't be nice… especially since… you know…

I shake my head, trying to clear it. "Besides… it's a bit too…" I pause. "I'm _not_ a girl. And my hair's not long enough for it, even if…" I slump. "...I shouldn't waste money on a trinket. I'd just… break it, or lose it in a couple of months, anyways." And it wouldn't be nice to Okaa-san or Otou-san.

That's true. I've got this second chance, I shouldn't waste it on frivolities. Not yet. There'll be time for that later, but… not yet.

I set the kanzashi down in the box again, carefully concealing it under the other hairpins, and try to smile. "It's not really… practical, you know? It's _pretty,_ but that's… that's not enough."

"Makoto?" Itachi asks.

"Let's just go, 'kay?" I grin weakly. "Besides, I'm sure Okaa-san has pretty things, too, that she'll probably let me look at. C'mon! I want to tell Okaa-san and Otou-san about what happened yesterday."

* * *

Probably an hour later, we exit the hospital, laughing. Or at least, I do. Itachi's got two points of bright red on his face.

He's also smiling, though, so it can't have been _that_ bad. Yeah, Okaa-san can get embarrassing with the praise, but Itachi definitely deserves every single word she said.

...though maybe the comment about him leaving the _shinobi_ corps to work for Kobayashi Teas full-time was a bit too much, considering how… canon, and how he'd sort of frozen up.

Still, I don't think it's healthy to keep all of that bottled up. I doubt Itachi has anyone he can just vent on. And I'm probably not good enough to be that person, but…

I bump Itachi lightly with my head.

"Makoto? Did you need something?"

"Itachi? Do… do you not want to be a shinobi?"

Itachi pauses. "...being a shinobi is expected of the Uchiha heir."

I blink. I mean… "Oh… wait… oh, _yeah…_ you're the heir." I twitch. I'd… somehow forgotten that. I then blanche, clapping a hand over my mouth as I almost double over.

"Makoto? Are you alright?" Itachi asks.

"...I just imagined you as Fugaku-sama. As in, his face, but on top of your body… and with your hairstyle…" I shudder. "No. That just looked so _wrong."_ I blanche again. "Not that there's anything wrong with Fugaku-sama or anything, it's just that… you're my friend. He's not. He's… nice… sometimes… but… nooffensebutyourfather'sabitscary," I blurt out, immediately clapping a hand over my mouth.

Itachi coughs.

I move on from that. "But I asked about _you,"_ I murmur. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it now, but…" I bite my cheek. "I want to know," I mumble. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but…"

Itachi sighs imperceptibly. "We're almost at the shop. Do you have a table in your room? I can show you some more kanji that might be helpful"

I blink at the change in topic, then grin, nodding. "Un!"

* * *

Itachi explains as he writes a new list of characters in the notebook.

"If you do not mind, I would prefer if you did not tell Otou-sama or Haha-ue." He pauses. "In fact, I would prefer if… if you did not tell anyone."

I look up, nodding slowly. "It's a big deal, huh? Okay. No one. I promise." I grin. "And that includes Okaa-san and Otou-san, too, if you're wondering."

Itachi smiles, before sobering up. "I was born right before the Third Shinobi War." He sighs. "When I was your age… I witnessed first-hand many of the war's casualties."

He sets down the pencil. "There was one day I remember the best. There was a battle, during the nighttime. I had watched from a cliff, out of sight. It was… horrific. In the morning, I went down to try… to try and see if anyone lived. There was one shinobi, who called for water." He closes his eyes. "I gave him water. But… he was an Iwa-nin."

"Oh," I murmur.

"He saw my weapons pack, I would assume." Itachi shrugs, opening his eyes, but not looking beyond his hands, fisted in his lap. He takes a deep breath. "Then, he tried to kill me."

I blink. Oh.

"And then Otou-sama killed him," Itachi concludes, shifting his weight until he's sitting criss-crossed as opposed to sitting in seiza, on his legs. He sighs again. "I don't want war. I would prefer to avoid violence. I would prefer not to have to ever kill anyone. My favorite word is _heiwa,_ 平和, peace." He writes it down on the notebook, before fisting his hand around the pencil. "But… I cannot do that. My clan, my village… they expect me to serve as a shinobi." He puts the pencil back down. "And so, I dream of the next best thing. I train in the hopes of becoming a shinobi so strong that… perhaps, one day, I can bring an end to war and conflict."

Itachi sighs. "I am strong. I graduated after barely a year in the Academy, and at the top of the graduating class. None of the missions we receive challenge me. If given the opportunity, I believe I would qualify for _chūnin."_ He pauses. "Sensei won't recommend me for the Chūnin Exams. Father… Otou-sama is… a bit upset with that. But…" He shrugs again.

I sigh, puffing out my cheeks, then stand up… only to glomp onto Itachi. I rest my chin on his shoulder, giving him what I consider to be a long-needed hug. "Fugaku-sama's silly. And so's the village and your clan if that's what they actually think." I stand up, going to flop onto my pillow, still looking at Itachi. "I'll be a shinobi, too. And I'll help you." I grin. "I personally think that when getting along with people, it's best to speak softly and carry a big stick! Not literally, but… be nice, and be really to protect yourself, but… be nice first."

I rest my chin on my hands. "I think you could make a very nice Hokage, Itachi."

Itachi blinks, opening his mouth, but I cut him off. "If you want to make the entire Elemental Nations listen to you, you need to make them _see_ you first. You need enough power to make them take you seriously." I stare at him. "So, try for Hokage. Keep doing what you're doing, but also make friends. Make friends with other people, other shinobi." I laugh. "Maybe if you have time, you should come play with me and Shino! Maybe even bring Sasuke-chan."

I stare at Itachi. "But I think it's important that you get to know people. And… make an actual plan to bring about peace and end wars. I don't know enough, but… that's a big dream."

I roll off the pillow until I'm lying on my back and Itachi seems to be upside down. I smile. "If you'll teach me, then I'll try to help you." My smile widens into a grin. "I like your dream, Itachi."

Itachi stares, and my grin shrinks slightly. Did I do something weird?

"You… you really think that?" he murmurs. "You don't believe it to be weird or odd?"

I roll back to my front, propping myself up on my elbows. I glare. "Your dream is _perfectly_ fine, and not weird at all." I scrunch my nose, glaring at the wall. "I'll get Shino to put the itchy bugs into the beds of anyone who says that."

Itachi smiles, an _actual smile_ , and my glare softens.

"Thank you, Makoto."

* * *

...I should not have said that. It seems my encouragement has also served to encourage Itachi's… efforts towards tutoring me. That's honestly the only explanation I can think of for why, about a _koku_ later, as Team 2 opens the shop, I'm perched on a chair at the kitchen table upstairs, reading Itachi's history textbook, while Itachi prepares plates of dango and sauces and toppings next to me that he'll carry downstairs soon.

I don't know when he had time to make a glossary of all the kanji in the first few chapters of the book, and I'm not sure I want to know, but there in my notebook are the words and their pronunciation in _hiragana._ If I don't know what some mean, I just ask Itachi. He somehow manages to make time for me in the middle of a whirlwind of pots, plates, and bowls.

I'm still in charge of making the tea, but Itachi's very good at guilt-tripping me into studying.

There's also a suspicious pile of books next to me that look disturbingly like more history textbooks… or just history books… and I think they're from the library. I like history, and history is useful… but while learning to read?

Well… oh, no.

I accidentally flipped to the back of the notebooks… those look like exercise notes. That looks like a exercise log. I sneak a glance at Itachi, even as I surreptitiously flip back to the page of kanji and kanji pronunciations. Maybe if I pretend it's not there…

Motivated geniuses are _terrifying_.

* * *

And no, pretending it wasn't there didn't help. As soon as we closed the shop, Itachi made me run all the way to the Uchiha compound… and then _back_ to the shop because he'd "accidentally" forgotten to bring my notebook and pajamas.

I'd packed them in the bag myself. The only way he could have "forgotten" to bring them is if he "accidentally" took them out.

And the distance doesn't sound like much, but usually takes a bit under half a _koku_ to walk. Even then, it doesn't seem very long… until you have a _very_ motivated "friend"... who you essentially promised to become a superb shinobi… and is very willing to hold you to that promise decide you need to sprint it.

I'm _three_. My legs are short and stubby, and I am _not_ used to this much exercise.

...at this point, I'm going to have to crawl up all the hospital stairs tomorrow. Or get someone to carry me. That would also work.

* * *

Except that no, that wasn't it, and now I'm "learning" about splits and other basic stretches.

I hate that stretch where you have your legs extended straight in front of you and you have to grab your feet? That one always caused pains in my back and the sides of my legs that most certainly weren't my hamstrings… and not the good pain either.

Butterfly position is still a bit painful… and my splits really suck. My arms aren't strong enough to hold a backbend, and this body isn't used to being turned upside down and so my face turns _bright_ red after barely ten seconds.

Possibly the worst stretch is the one for my shoulders. You know how some people can grab their hands behind their back and bring them over their head without bending their elbows and their shoulder do that weird thing? Apparently, it can be taught, though it's best to do it when young. So, now my shoulders are also in pain from a bunch of stretching, though it's not nearly as bad as my legs.

Still, my three-year-old body, complete with all the natural softness of childhood and the inherent flexibility, definitely influences a lot. The run earlier also helped. Without it… well… let's just say _ouch_.

My older mentality probably also does quite a bit towards letting me endure the pain… without screaming, at least.

First the issues I had with writing, now this? What next?

...no. Not puberty. Nope. May my unpleasantly sharp mind suffer the fury of… a thousand kanji-induced headaches…

...I'll just focus on stretching for now.

* * *

I practically collapse at the table, jelly-limbed, when Mikoto-obasama calls us over. Today's meal is interesting— monkfish _nabe_ (hotpot). Also known as _anko nabe_. There's also a very interesting dish known as ankimo, or monkfish liver. Mikoto-obasama steamed it, i think, and it looks _really_ good with the chopped scallions, grated _daikon_ , and _ponzu_ , a kinda citrusy sauce.

Other than that, a lot of the ingredients are similar to the _oden_ from the night before. And it's probably just as good. I liked the _ankimo_ best, though. It's really rich and creamy, but also light and delicate. Given how it's also the liver, I guess I'd compare it to _foie gras_ … or probably _uni,_ sea urchin. They're the most buttery-but-not things I can think of off the top of my head, but they're all unique.

* * *

The next day, after a light breakfast… Itachi makes me run. Again. My legs are pretty sore from yesterday, but… does that matter? Nope! Of course, they're not unbearably sore… they just hurt.

But the most annoying part are the incentives. First, it's Itachi "forgetting" something at home… and then it's that he "left" something with Shinko-chan (who was shopping in the marketplace and took _forever_ to find), and then he "needs" me to deliver a message to Mikoto-obasama. I'm pretty sure the "message" was just a blank piece of paper.

But _then_ he realizes that he needed an _answer_ (okay, so maybe it wasn't blank), and sends me for it. Another piece of paper. I'm starting to think the first one was just a message to give me a piece of paper.

And then… I get to stretch. Again. Yay. For practically half a _koku_. Double yay.

At this point, I'm almost sitting in perfect side split, and it's only the pain that's making me hold myself up at all. There's no dry pain, or the the ouch of tearing anything. Nope. My muscles are complete jelly. Painful jelly, but… jelly.

My middle split still sucks, though. There's really no fixing that.

* * *

Oh. The messages were actually messages.

We opened up the shop early… well, _they_ opened up the shop early. I was still playing a waiting game of seeing which would surrender first, my legs or my arms. So after about a _koku_ of that, it was time for lunch.

Except, Itachi had a surprise for me. And the surprise was just like all of Itachi's surprised these past few days— sweet, but also really, _really_ … not.

Recipes. Nice, right? And some empty _bento_ boxes and handkerchiefs that are Mikoto-obasama's.

But there's the catch— the recipes are in _kanji_ and _hiragana_ , with some _katakana_ to boot.

And Itachi's not letting me do anything until I read everything out loud.

* * *

About a quarter- _koku_ later, we're done, _finally_ done, and I'm sneaking two handkerchief-wrapped _bento_ into the hospital. Whenever anyone passes by, I hide behind Itachi's legs.

A few minutes later, I'm ducking through the door. Mission: Yummy Lunch, part 2, is a success!

We made the food, we delivered it, and now… we need to get Okaa-san and Otou-san to eat it, and _hopefully_ like it.

"It's not _really_ morning, but… _ohayō_!" I grin. "Ne, ne, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, Itachi helped me make an _obento_ for you!"

Okaa-san smiles. "That's very nice of you Makoto, Itachi-kun."

I pass her a box, then hand the other to Otou-san. "Try it, try it!" I grin, bouncing slightly on my toes.

"Hai, hai," Otou-san sighs, before smiling and ruffling my hair. "Thank you, Makoto. And Itachi-kun," he adds, looking over.

Itachi bobs his head in a semi-bow. "Hai."

"Oh, that's so cute, Makoto!" Okaa-san gasps from her bed, lid in her hands. I beam. Itachi had to help me, but I added little smiley faces in sesame seeds on the _onigiri_ and used some of the pretty toothpicks Okaa-san likes on the fruit.

"Ah, I think I need help with the lid," Otou-san sighs, and I bounce over to help. His right arm's in a brace, so… yeah. Still…

"That's why I had Itachi help wrap the onigiri in _nori_ ," I grin, remembering the trouble we'd gone to in an effort to get the seaweed to stick. "Hopefully it's still a bit crunchy. But this way, it's less messy and it's easy to eat with your left hand!" I laugh. "And sorry the _tamagoyaki's_ a bit dry and… burnt." I lean in closer. "Itachi helped with the _tako_ -shaped sausage. We found a _big_ sausage, so it actually has eight legs! And a head! Just like an actual octopus!" I exaggerate my sigh. "We couldn't _actually_ find a _real_ octopus, or even the squid you like, so…" I shrug. "The sausage- _tako_ will have to do."

I turn on my heel, flouncing away, before turning back to face them, clasping my hands. "Ne, ne… do you like it?"

Okaa-san laughs. "It's very good, Makoto. Thank you so much, Itachi-kun. The _mikan_ and _ringo_ and _ichigo_ are very good!"

I grin. The small citrus fruits had been my job to peel! I'd accidentally pressed too hard on some, but… I like to think I did a good job. Though… "Itachi's really good at peeling apples! I convinced him to save part of it for the _ringo no usagi_ , though! I always liked it when you cut my apple pieces like bunnies, so… I thought…" I shuffle my feet. "But Itachi's so cool. He peels the apple in that spiral like you try to do, Otou-san!" Though really, the strawberries were _so good_. I'd snuck away more than a few.

Itachi coughs. "The fruits were in season." He murmurs. "And… I practiced. Kitchen knives are… easier to use than _kunai_."

Otou-san laughs, a full chuckle that's surprisingly big and deep for his frame, and I hide a grin. He's been practicing that since _forever_ , and he fails more often than he succeeds. "If I'd tried doing that with one of those, I'd probably have cut my finger off by now."

I almost snort. "That'd… that'd be bad," I force out, trying not to let my laughter show.

...it shows. My face is probably all weird, and I'm pretty sure I'm shaking _ever-so-slightly_.

Otou-san laughs again, and Okaa-san joins him, a light peal of laughter that still somehow sounds polite, and I finally join in, with my laughter consisting mostly of high-pitched squeaks of gasped breath and coughs between soundless shaking. It's _embarrassing_ , but… I look at Itachi's barely-there smile, and it makes me feel happy.

...and then there's the sound of someone clearing his throat, and I jump.

Standing in the _open_ doorway… is a very intimidating medic-nin with a clipboard. He's got this grey-and-white hair… and these _really_ thick, arched brows that _should_ make him look silly or permanently surprised, but together with his deadpan expression… and the half-moon glasses that do not make him look like Albus Dumbledore at _all_ … just make him look… a bit… okay, a _lot_ … angry.

He pushes up his square glasses, clearing his throat again… and looks at the open bento very pointedly. I almost jump. "Uhm," I squeak, wide-eyed. "I'm… sorry?"

* * *

Moments later, Itachi and I are kindly escorted out the front door, bento re-wrapped and in our arms, and are told, in no uncertain terms, that bringing food into the Hospital is, while rarely prevented, especially by… silly, sentimental nurses?... is _strongly discouraged_.

I'm too intimidated to do more than gulp and nod frantically, body still frozen and eyes still wide in terror. Itachi _seems_ normal, but he's just suspiciously stiff next to me.

"I… should probably apologize," Itachi murmurs when we finally start to de-solidify. "I had not expected… well, Hakusai Fukuto-sama isn't normally… he is the Head Iryō-nin of the Konohagakure Central Hospital."

Oh. Those seem like some pretty weightly titles. I nod, soundlessly, before looking down at the bento.

"Well, I think Okaa-san and Otou-san liked the bento?" My voice goes up suspiciously, even though _that was not intended to be a question_. I take a deep breathe, and then… "I think we _might_ be a bit late."

Itachi looks at the sun, and his eyes widen ever-so-slightly. "Ah. You might be right."

We look at each other.

"I think we should hurry?" I squeak out again.

Itachi nods slowly. "That would… probably be best."

As we run back to Kobayashi Tea, I try my best not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of what just happened, I'd swear that Itachi smiled.

* * *

That night, as I'm about to go to sleep, I remember something.

I turn over, looking at where Itachi's sitting at a table, looking over something.

"Ne… Itachi?"

He turns around. "Makoto? Did you need something?"

I shake my head. "No, it's just…" I hesitate. "Your… your mission's almost over… right?"

Itachi thinks for a moment, then nods slowly. "...hai. It has been… today is the sixth day, I believe. Your parents should be released from the hospital tomorrow, even if they won't be fully healed for a while."

I curl a bit further into the pillow. "...Itachi?"

"Hai?"

"Are… are we friends?"

Itachi doesn't respond immediately, and I wince at my question. That might have been… a bit too forward.

"It's… it's okay… if that's a bit… too…" I trail off. "It's okay if you don't _want_ to be… but… well…"

"Yes." Itachi's reply is quiet, but firm. "I believe… I would like for us to be friends."

My face widens into a smile, and I bury my face in the pillow to try and hide the ear-to-ear grin.

After a few moments, I feel like I need to answer Itachi's unasked question. "You're my second friend." I pause, thinking. "Well _actually_ , if we go by when we first met… I think you're my first friend." I blink. Wait… really? I think back again. "Yeah… I think that's right."

I let out a huff of almost-laughter. "That's so _weird_." I look over at Itachi. "Just a week ago, Shino… ah, Aburame Shino invited me over for his birthday, and I thought that was _such a big deal_. Just three weeks before that, I'd panicked over inviting him over for _my_ birthday…" I bury my head back into the pillow to muffle my squeal of laughter. "Ah, that seems so _long_ ago!"

I roll onto my back. "And then my parents… got into the accident… and now…" I look back over. "In almost a week, I've been in the Police Building for nearly getting someone arrested… _accidentally_ … and then stayed over with the Uchiha _Clan head_ … _and_ his family… in the _Uchiha Compound_ …" I stare sightlessly at the ceiling, not really seeing it, but… lost in my memories. Lost in amazement. I didn't realize it… but yeah. "I've eaten at the same table as the Uchiha clan head. I've learned to read. I've learned _hiragana_ and _katakana_ and _kanji_ and almost have some of my splits down, and… and… and I've made a _new friend_."

I roll onto my stomach, looking at Itachi. "And… thank _you_ , Itachi. If it had just been the other people in Team 2… or really anyone else… I'm pretty certain that _this_ …" I flap my hand at the room. "...would _never_ have happened."

I rest my chin on my hands. "So thank you. For everything. For treating me seriously and not… just like a three-year old. For taking extra time to humor me and teach me. For making the worksheets. For _talking_ to me. For being so nice."

I look down. "You didn't have to do any of what you did. For that matter… your family didn't have to be so nice either." I frown. "I'll have to thank them, somehow…" I look at Itachi. "What tea do you like? What tea does Fugaku-sama like? What does Mikoto-sa… - _obasama_ like?" I bury my head in the blanket. "And I've had the Uchiha clan matriarch tell me to call her _Mikoto-obasan_!"

I groan into the blanket, once again making a sound reminiscent of what I'd imagine a dying elephant's final trumpets to sound like. I'm in _so much pain_ right now. Oh… _gods_ …

I'm torn from my mental anguish by a… a bark? No… a snort? A baby elephant sneezing? No… that's…

I look over at the only other person in the ro…

…

...Itachi's… laughing.

…

Itachi's _laughing_. He's genuinely _laughing_ now, chuckles of hold-yourself-up-so-you-don't-fall laughter, and…

My face splits in a grin.

Before I can help it, I'm joining in with my squeaky, hiccup-y, fragmented laughter until my sides hurt and I'm probably _crying_ and I'm just trying to _breathe_ , by the sounds just make me laugh more and I try to look over at Itachi but the sight of him half-collapsed with silent laughter is so _funny_ that I just start laughing _again_ , and…

* * *

Maybe half an hour, a quarter _koku_ later, our giggles finally subside.

I groan theatrically, between fading hiccups of laughter. "Ow. My _sides_ hurt. They hurt so… _so_ much."

Itachi, who's focused on breathing from where he's rolled into his back on the floor, nods.

"I… believe… I may have… bruised my elbow," he gasps, and it's almost enough to make me start laughing again. But then he manages to pull himself together long enough to extinguish the light and collapse onto the other side of the bed and winces and I murmur a soft apology because my feet can get _cold_ and he's warm, so…

And then he decides that it's the perfect time to ask, "I personally believe the important matter here is that… it was your birthday… about two weeks ago?"

Itachi practically needs to suffocate me with his pillow before I stop laughing and answer the question.

* * *

The next day, I wake up before Itachi, which… is surprising for me because I thought I'd sleep in more, but… also not really. Because we'd spent a lot of time talking about… random things. Like birthdays (Itachi's is on _rokugatsu no kokonoka_ , or… 6/9, so… June 9), favorite foods (cabbage with onigiri with _kombu_ , which I'd known), least favorite foods (steak, which I had not known), favorite colors (green, like the color of new grass and leaves in springtime), and so on.

And… it's immediately awkward because I'd gone to sleep wrapped around a pillow (the easiest substitute for the large teddy bear I'd had _Before_ that I'd slept with every night and was arguably my most important non-essential item) but… well…

Let's just say the pillow has been replaced.

Though, Itachi's all bones and muscle, which is really uncomfortable, but…

Ah. The windows open. And it's January.

And Itachi's warm.

I wriggle until my arms aren't trapped and turn, grabbing a pillow. A little more wriggling, pulling up the duvet cover up a bit so that it's evenly distributed, and… I curl up again, nuzzled against the source of the warmth.

It's _cold_ and I'm still a bit fuzzy from sleep and really just want to go _back_ to sleep and Itachi's warm and I've done this before with Okaa-san and it's _nice_ having a larger heater under the blanket next to you, especially when it gets cold. It gets uncomfortable in August, but like… everything's uncomfortable in August when it's hot and humid and sticky, and it's _not_ August right now, so… I move my slightly-cold nose so that it's out of the cold and pull the blanket up just a _little_ bit more, so it covers most of my head but there's enough of a gap for air, and… I promptly go back to sleep.

Or at least, I _would_ have, except my cold nose, along with my earlier wiggling, was apparently the incentive for Itachi to wake up. "O- _ohayō_ , Sasuke," he yawns, shifting… and _pulling the blankets with him as he rolls over_ , which is NOT okay.

I promptly tug at the blankets, only for Itachi to turn over, and… "and I'm _not_ Sasuke, but it's _cold_ and you're taking all the blankets!"

Itachi huffs in amusement, before yawning again. "Ah… I think we stayed up too late, Makoto," he murmurs, rubbing at his face, before standing up and heading over to close the window. "I apologize for forgetting to close the window."

He turns around… and smiles. I stare at him grumpily from where I promptly took to opportunity the vacate the now-empty warm spot, and cocooned myself in the blankets. " _No_ ," I grumble, hissing and recoiling when he comes back over and tries to pull me out.

Itachi chuckles, before… oh, _wheredidhegetthatspraybottlegetit_ AWAY!

…

...and now, I am cold, grumpy, still sleepy, but unfortunately awake. And Itachi knows it, still brandishing that spray bottle which I know recognize as the one he keeps for the little bonsai pine on the corner of his desk.

"I _really_ don't like you right now," I mutter.

Itachi shrugs, a ghost of a smile still on his face.

"It's morning. Time to get up. We should clean up your house before your parents return. I doubt you've aired out their room even once."

I groan. Yeah, that's a good point, but…

"And I have for you another three pages of _kanji_ , along with their pronunciations." He holds up my notebook and the history text.

I stare at them grumpily.

…

"Breakfast is ready!" Mikoto-obasama calls from down the hall.

...I get of out of the blanket-and-pillow-cocoon.

* * *

When we reach Kobayashi Tea, Itachi helps strip my parents' bed for all the sheets, covers, and cases, which he then pushes into the laundry machine, and carries the rugs downstairs, where Shinko-san and Tenma-San are assigned to beat them of any dust. They're also in charge of sweeping, mopping, and polishing the floor… washing the windows… and cleaning basically everything else. They've already swept. All of the inventory, from the tea to the cups, is currently on the floor as the team tackles the shelves. Next, they'll replace the tea, wash down all of the teapots and cups and plates and bowls, polish the silverware, and the. wash/wipe down down the tables and chairs. Finally, they'll mop and polish the floor.

Meanwhile, Itachi opens the windows and wipes down the tops of the cabinets and all the curtains for dust, and sweeps any debris off the floor, tossing the contents of the dustpan into the garbage, before helping me move everything off of the shelves.

He quickly but meticulously cleans each shelf and flat surface, before metaphorically attacking the contents of the shelves as the next victims of his cleaning furor.

Seriously. There is cleaning… and then there is _cleaning_. I don't think I've ever seen anyone clean as meticulously as Itachi… and the rest of Team 2, after a bit of convincing from him. Like, this is above and beyond, and I am _impressed_. And a bit intimidated but hey, what else is new?

I'm not exempt, either— I'm tasked with returning the now-clean objects to where they came from. And that in itself is _exhausting_. Seriously, I don't know how Itachi and the rest of his team do it.

I get a small break after Itachi dumps the wet sheets into the dryer, while he goes to refill the shelves with groceries, a half- _koku_ of time that I spend half-asleep lying on my now-dust-free rug.

When he returns, it's putting away the groceries and wiping down the now-empty surfaces and polishing the sink and sweeping the floor again and taking all of the sheets out of the dryer and putting them back over the mattress and pillow-cases and everything.

* * *

Afterwards, I collapse on Okaa-san and Otou-san's newly-made bed.

I just want to _sleep_.

I hear Itachi walk over to the kitchen, and then return, but I'm too tired to look. I just hope it's not _more_ cleaning we need to do…

"Makoto?" Itachi asks, nudging my shoulder.

"Hai?" I mumble, pushing myself into a sitting position.

Itachi smiles, takes a step back, brings his hands from behind his back, and opens his hands… to reveal a small wooden box. "Happy belated birthday, Makoto."

Blinking, I look down. With a nod from Itachi, I take off the lid. My eyes widen.

"I-Itachi!" I squeak. "You… you…" I pause. "How much did it _cost_?" I demand, looking over, before curling up a bit and looking down. "Ah, I should… pay you back."

Itachi takes the lid, puts it back on the box, and presses it gently into my hands. "We are friends. It would be very impolite of me to miss such an important event in my friend's life. And it is a gift. It would be rude to ask for money in return." He smiles. "And it would be even more rude to refuse a gift."

I stare, deadpanned, remembering a conversation earlier in the week. Itachi had been just as insistent about attaching to a suffix to my name.

Still... "You _really_ didn't have to. You know that, right?" I look at him. "I'm currently worried that I guilt-tripped you into this or something…" He raises an eyebrow, and I duck my head. "But… thanks. Really," I mutter, before leaning into him in a kinda-hug. "Thank you, Itachi. I… it means a lot."

Itachi hugs me back for a moment, then gently pushes me back to gesture to the box. "If it helps, the daughter of the shop-owner gave me a message, to pass on to the future owner of this hairpin."

I frown. "A message?"

"She told me to tell you, 'Wear the hairpin, and don't lose it. I would rather see it scratched from wear than collecting dust in a drawer. If it will make your friend feel better, I'll even make a permanent offer— if you break it, you can bring it back in for me to fix, for just the price of the materials. Okay?'"

My eyes widen, and Itachi smiles.

"Apparently, it's a rather unconventional design for _kanzashi_. Most people prefer those made of silk. Apart from that, it was her first creation, so it's rather clumsily-made in certain areas." He pauses. "No one had actually asked about purchasing it, not since it was put in the box almost eight years ago."

I almost choke on air. " _What_? But… it's so pretty! No one? In _eight years?_ "

Itachi shakes his head, before he reaches for something else. "Oh, and I almost forgot. I asked Haha-ue for some advice, since you mentioned that your hair isn't quite long enough yet."

From his pocket, he takes out… a folded ribbon? But… it's weird, and it's more like lace than anything.

"I also bought a ribbon you can hook the _kanzashi_ onto. If you would like me to…" Itachi gestures, and I nod hesitantly, turning.

He carefully ties it like a headband, adding a bow, and spins me back around, carefully securing the kanzashi on the other side, then taking half a step back, and…

"I look ridiculous, don't I?" I deadpan. That carefully-straight face that isn't quite emotionless can only mean one thing.

"That looks very nice, Makoto," Itachi coughs.

I look at him for a little while longer, before shrugging. "Looking like a fool because of a friend is an age-old, time-honored tradition." I grin. "Besides, it's a gift! And a symbol of our new friendship! So that means that I'll treasure it, even if I can't actually wear it properly for a while." My grin widens into something sinister. " _And_ it means that I'll have to do something even more awesome for your birthday!"

Itachi presses his eyes closed. "Based upon my experiences with that tone… I feel as if I should I should exercise caution once _rokugatsu_ arrives." The sixth month. June. His birthday. I laugh, a malicious chuckle that doesn't come out quite as maliciously as I'd hoped it would. "Bwahaha!" I giggle through a toothy grin. "Beware!"

* * *

A little while later, Team 2 and I are in the waiting room of the Hospital, waiting as Okaa-san and Otou-san are discharged. Otou-san's in a wheelchair, and his arm's still in a cast, but Okaa-san just has crutches and what seems like a brace around her wrist.

Shinko-san helps wheel Otou-san, even as Izumo-san falls behind, while Minazuki-san talks with Okaa-san and I bounce happily alongside Itachi.

I don't have a hairband on, or a hairpin, but there's a ribbon tied in a bow around my wrist, and I'm carrying a small backpack, with only a notebook, some pencils… and a small wooden box.

* * *

It is for your sake

That I walk the fields in spring,

Gathering green herbs,

While my garment's hanging sleeves

Are speckled with falling snow.

— Emperor Koko

* * *

君がため

春の野に出でて

若菜つむ

わが衣手に

雪はふりつつ

— 光孝天皇

* * *

_Kimi ga tame_

_Haru no no ni idete_

_Wakana tsumu_

_Waga koromode ni_

_Yuki wa furi tsutsu_

_— Koko Tenno_

* * *

**Author's Note: So, uh… I'm sorry?**

***bows almost 90, extending chapter as payment.***

**I'm really sorry for my month-and-a-half-long hiatus. So, here's about 20,000 words as an apology. 20,000 brand new words, a new plot, and a lot of character development.**

**I hope you like it!**

**...Expect the next chapter to be probably after Thanksgiving, as well as a lot shorter.**

**I hope Itachi's mostly in-character. I wanted to reflect that he's troubled, but he's still young, so it makes very little sense for him to be silent and just 'hn.' That'll come later. He's calm and composed, but he doesn't have an iron mask just yet. Plus, Makoto's a client, and a kid, and a cute kid, and an intelligent cute kid who's about Sasuke's age who currently has both parents stuck in the hospital after a pretty serious accident, and Itachi's excited to have a friend.**

**About the poem— Makoto didn't quite "gather green herbs," but he definitely had to be outside, and got a bit messy, and it was definitely, entirely because of/for Itachi.**

**But yeah… a lot better than what I had before. Completely different, and better. I hope, at least.**

**And, as a side note— if there is anyone who knows Japanese and is willing to help me, please just PM me or email me at ShadowAccio6181 gmail . com. I'm currently relying a lot on Google, and… while I try to cross-reference, they're not perfect.**

**Note to readers: This world has a lot of worldbuilding. We've just started, so hopefully you like that!**

**On a separate note, I'm actually trying to learn to write with my non-dominant hand (in my case, my left hand)! ...It's… a process. It's been nearly a week, and my handwriting… has improved. It's shaky and hideous, but it's not that bad on a vertical whiteboard, and I'm optimistic. (^_^)**

**I might have mentioned this before, but if you have any ideas for OCs, this universe needs people! (Name, physical description, occupation... hobbies, friends, etc. I'm putting a template below. I might change them before I insert them into the story, but I'll credit my inspiration.**

**Name: (MUST BE JAPANESE)**

**Physical description: (Nothing too extreme, please, or I'll have to change it)**

**Occupation: Civilian/Chūnin**

**Loyalty: Konohagakure/Land of Fire/Land of Water/Kirigakure/Kumogakure (hinthintwinkwink)**

**Other information:**

**And reviews are greatly appreciated! Even if it's just "hi!" (Note: If I don't update, comments actually sometimes help. At least, it's an effective way to guilt-trip me into trying to find more time to write. *hinthint*)**

**-ShadowAccio6181**

**Question time: How much do you like the worldbuilding? Like, on a scale from 0 being "I absolutely hate it, it's a waste of time, and you're stupid" to a 10 of "That's so cool! I never thought of that! I'd definitely like more world-building!"**

**Oh, and if you see something seriously wrong with my characterization, PLEASE let me know! I'm starting to introduce more canon characters, and I'd prefer to fix problems now, rather than… come back to it ten chapters later and realize I need to rewrite eleven chapters worth of bad characterization.**


End file.
